Tales of a Dead Man
by ClockworkCaptain
Summary: Death isn't always the end and in Sokka's case it is just the beginning.
1. Waking up dead

A/N: Yes, this is a fallow on to "Tears in the Water" but is only one possible road that could have been taken from those tragic events. Please give this first chapter a try and if you feel so compelled leave a comment. This story will deal with dark themes but will have some comedy too (with Sokka as a main character how could it not). This will be one of my darker stories so if you want something that stays light leave now. Still here? Awesome! Let's get this ball rolling! ~ C.C.

~Tails of a Dead man~

~Chapter 1~

~Waking up Dead~

Yue held Sokka's ghost close to her chest sobbing her own arms shaking. The sirens may have let her take his spirit away but he had yet to wake up and open his eyes. Yue feared his soul was trapped in a dreamless sleep: a dark abyss created by his own mind he'd never wake up from. Yue bit her lip wondering whether the Siren's had tricked her and all she held was a spectral shell devoid of the man she loved so much. Chocking back another tear Yue leaned against one of the dark blue trees that made up the Midnight Forest, a section of the spirit world that was constantly night where many of the night's spirits, including herself, resided.

A white flame dancing in the darkness caught her eye. Curiously, she looked up to see a tall human looking spirit holding a lantern with the white flame walking towards her. The spirit looked down at her kindly.

"Why are crying Yue? I've noticed the moon has been less bright these past few days is something wrong?" He spoke softly his one golden eye looking down at Sokka's spirit. He face fell. "Oh, a victim of a fellow spirit, I presume?"

Yue nodded. "Yes, sirens." She moved some hair out of Sokka's face, "They used his fear against him to drown him. Now I can't wake him up." She suppressed a sob looking up at the older spirit. "Can you help him North Star? You're a Lantern barer surely if there's any spirit that can help this soul it's you!"

The older spirit nodded. "Maybe I can help, it is part of my job. Helping souls giving them peace."

Yue suddenly pulled Sokka close a new thought occurring to her. "You won't take him away from me will you? I don't want to be selfish but I'm so-"

He looked at her with pity, "So very lonely, I know. It's hard for spirits who look like people or who were once people. No, I won't take him away from you, but if this young man wishes to be at peace I will not be able to say no."

Yue looked down. "I understand, you must fallow your laws like I must fallow mine." She stood up holding Sokka securely in her arms. "What do we do now? How do we wake him up?"

The North Star turned away. "Come, we need to go to my home where all my books are. There we might find away to awaken his soul once more."

.o.

Katara paced back and forth in Zuko's study as her boyfriend and the Fire Lord surveyed a map trying to figure out where Sokka could possibly be. Outside rain pelted the windows and a bolt of lightning split the sky for just a moment.

"Some one should've gone with him." She whispered. "What if he did find Azula and she over powered him?" She wrapped her arms around herself. "What if he's dead?"

"Calm down, sugar queen. As much as it pains me to say it, and don't tell him I did, Sokka is a very capable fighter, he's fine." Toph took a sip of her tea before making a move on the pi sho board. "Trust me."

Uncle Iroh nodded moved his own piece. "Have faith in your bother."

"Yeah, snoozles is probably hold up somewhere out of this rain."

Aang looked out at the storm. "I hope you're right Toph, I would hate to be stuck out in this weather."

Zuko nodded. "Let's hope Azula's with him." Lightning split the sky. "She never like thunder storms; too unpredictable for her tastes. "

.o.

The Spirit World and the Land of the Dead were two separate worlds that over lapped allowing for easy travel between the two, if you knew were the cross overs were. The trick was knowing where the bridges where. The North Star knew all of them and led Yue deeper into the midnight woods coming out on a clearing where a giant house over looking a lake stood. Like the manor of the sirens it was a massive affair made of stone towering over all those who approached it.

Above the door was the North Star's seal a Phoenix flying around a star, presumably the North Star. The inside was lavishly decorated in a style not seen in the human world. A white hawk landed on the star's shoulder as soon as he walked through the door. The spirit smiled and patted the hawk on the head.

"Heroto, my dear friend I need you to go into the library and pull from the shelves any book that might be helpful when dealing with a soul that has been slain by a siren."

The hawk bowed. "Yes, my lord." Heroto took off flying out of the room and down the hall.

The North Star smiled at Yue, "Might as well have him give us a head start."

She nodded and held Sokka close. "Do you think you'll find a way to wake him up in your library? I mean Won Shi Tung probably has more books."

Her companion smirked. "That big grumpy owl might have more books in general, but when it comes to books of the dead my collection is unrivaled."

The North Star escorted Yue into a large library where a sharp-featured man put another stack of books on the table. "I have pulled for you all the books in evolving sirens, I suggest you start with the stack of books closet to you. Since they involve the victims of Sirens exclusively." He took a deep breath. "It is so nice sir to be doing something other than cataloging new arrivals."

"Thank you Heroto." The Star gave his servant a grateful nodded before picking up a book and looking through it.

Heroto looked at Yue and gestured to a love seat. "You can set him down on that." He saw the fearful look in her eyes. "No harm will come to the ghost. This is the palace of the Northern Star, all souls are safe here whether they belong here or not."

Yue nodded setting Sokka on the love seat before helping the North Star look through books. After an hour she slammed another book shut. "This is all about how to avoid becoming a victim of a siren or breaking the spell of their singing." She looked down. "There's nothing here on how to wake a soul that they've trapped."

The other spirit nodded. "Sadly, it seems that once a soul has fallen victim of a siren no one ever bothered to figure out a way to free them, defeatists. " He sighed. "Too bad there's not a Lantern Barer for those slain by a spirit huh? We could just have them sort this out." He chuckled darkly. "But then if there was one there wouldn't be that misty pit of lost souls and Kho wouldn't have such a collection of faces."

Yue nodded. "It's quite the over sight on your kinds part."

"Yes it is, but let's face it on the whole Lantern Bearers as over taxed as it is. After a hundred years of war I'm finally getting time to breath." He looked over at Sokka. "So this young man, did you know him while you were alive or did you fall in love with him while watching from afar?"

"I met him in life and I feel in love with him in life. I had hoped after I died he would live on, have a full life I had always wanted." She looked down. "But now my poor love won't have that either. He was a warrior to the end died with sword in hand."

"So he was a soldier huh?" The spirit sat back in thought. "We might actually be in luck, soldiers and sailors are my jurisdiction. I wonder if I can call him back like those souls lost at sea or almost forgotten on a battle field."

Yue looked down. "But wouldn't that mean he'd have to stay here in the land of the dead?"

"That's his choice not mine. I only give people the possible path I don't make them walk down it." The spirit looked at Yue. "But let's just see if this works before we plan anything else." He looked at Sokka and frowned. "I can't stand the idea that one of my children is stuck in such a state. I wonder how many more those creators have stolen from me?" He shook his head. "That's irrelevant at the moment."

The spirit summoned two white fires in his hands and kneeled downed by the ghost. He placed and hand on either side of Sokka's face as some color returned to the spirit. The North Star kissed Sokka's forehead before speaking softly to him.

"It's time to wake up my son, sleep is for the living."

Sokka stirred and the spirit stepped back as Sokka opened his eyes that for just a moment burned with the white fire before going back to blue.

.o.

At first Sokka didn't know where he was or who the two people looking down at him were. His vision cleared and he saw Yue who was smiling and a man with dark hair and an eye patch over his left eye standing next to her. He felt off but couldn't put a finger on it until Yue hugged him so tight he thought for sure it would nock the wind out of him, which it didn't.

"I am so glad you're awake!" Yue said softly kissing his cheek. "I was worried you would be asleep forever."

The man smiled. "Welcome back to land of existence."

Sokka looked at the man. "You mean land of the living right?"

Both of their faces feel and Yue shook her head. "No, not the living. Sokka you were killed by the sirens, you're dead. You're in the land of the dead, in the house of the North Star, the Lantern Barer for soldiers and sailors to be more specific."

Sokka looked at her hundreds of questions swimming through his brain at once. He asked the first one that he could clearly grasp. "What's a Lantern Barer?"

"We are, what does your kind call us now?" The North Star tapped his chin. "Grimm Reapers, our job is to lead souls to their final resting place so they might be at peace."

Sokka gulped, even though he really didn't need to. "So I'm stuck here forever?"

He shook his head. "No, you still have free choice and may chose to go back and haunt the land of the living or reside in the spirit world, though why anyone picks either of those is beyond me." The old spirit looked at Yue who was giving him a look. "However, this young woman very much longs for your company, but be wary souls that linger in the human world are at a great risk of becoming vengeance filled poltergeist; mere shadows of their human selves."

Sokka looked down taking Yue's hand. He looked up gazing into her eyes. "You don't know how much I want to stay with you but I don't want to become some horrible monster." His eye became hallow. "I can't become a nightmare."

"I could never ask you too." Yue looked at the Northern Star. "Is there anything we can do to avoid him becoming a monster, North Star? I was once human and I haven't become a poltergeist."

"Yes, but you're the moon spirit, not some lingering soul unwilling to move on. You have a duty, a reason. If he were to stay in the human world for long periods of time he would need one too." The spirit tapped his chin and looked about the room his eyes spotting a suit of armor. "I have an idea. Sokka of the Sothern Water tribe I have a task for you. I wand you to be the moon's knight."

"Her night? Like the time when everyone goes to sleep? North Star, I have a feeling that that position is taken."

The spirit pinched his nose. "I meant knight with a 'K', you will be her protector, a samurai, one who guards her against other spirits and humans wishing her harm. Recent history suggests that's a common threat now."  
Sokka bit his lip. "I had that job before, and I failed."

"Well good thing you have a second chance then." The North Star said smiling. "Now, come with me, if you are to guard our beautiful Yue, especially in the land of the living, you are going to need some armor."

"Why? I'm already dead? Can't get killed again."

"No, but you can be corrupted and being a ghost you'll only be visible at night or by fellow spectral forms. If we put you in an armored suit of my own making you'll bring some of the land of the dead with you and be protected from corruption." He smiled. "The added bonus is that in the day time you'll appear to be a hallow suit of armor…. walking around with it's own volition…I guess only a Lantern Barer would find that a bonus, or some one with a love of black humor." He clapped his hand. "Either way! Let's get you some armor!"

Sokka nodded. "Uh, yeah sure. Hey! Mr. North Star, do you have a name? Like a real name like Yue or Habbi or La? I mean it's just kind of weird calling you North Star."

The spirit looked at him perplexed. "No I've always been the North Star, do you name your chairs? Or do you just call them chair?"

"Well I generally don't have conversations with my chairs." Sokka paused for a moment than snapped his fingers. "I know! We'll call you Ira!"

"Ira? Why do you call me Watchful?"

"Because if you're a Grimm Reaper you have to always be looking out for souls to collect so you're watchful, Ira!"

The spirit rolled his eyes. "Fine, Ira will work if you feel the need to give me a human name."

Sokka smiled. "You know Ira, I think you and I are going to be friends."

Ira raised an eyebrow. "You think so? I've never been a friend to one of my children before. I guess it would be a nice change of pace since my only friends anymore is Heroto and, obviously, Yue."

Sokka tilted his head. "You only have two friends? No one else?"

"I had a brother once." Ira touched his eye patch. "But that was along time ago. Now," He opened a door to a hall filled with suits of armor from every nation, "Let's find you a suit."

Sokka marveled at all the different pieces of armor. "Wow, you mean I can have my pick?"

"Yes, they will change to fit your smaller frame so don't worry about the size, just be warned you can chose only one. It will be your body in the land of the living so don't go for anything you'll feel silly in later."

Sokka nodded and started to look around and his eye caught a fire nation suit meant for a woman and his heart dropped. He looked at Yue who was studying a water tribe suit. "Yue, you told me I couldn't save Azula is she really-I mean was she?"

"She's dead Sokka. You two shared the same fate, however, she is still prisoner." Yue set her hand on the breastplate of the armor. "She is lost to all now, just like the others trapped in the manor by the Sirens."

Sokka frowned. "That's not fair! I was in that house it was filled with spirits is there nothing we can do? They don't deserve that fate," he looked away, "not even Azula deserves that fate."

Yue shook her head. "No they don't but there's nothing anyone can do. There's not lantern bearer for souls slain by spirits."

"Well there should be!" Sokka looked over at Ira. "Ira, how are you the North Star and a lantern bearer?"

"I was the North Star, and later became a lantern barer."

"So what's to stopping you from becoming a lantern barer for victims of spirits? You take care of soldiers and it seems that some spirits have called an all out war on people. Can't you just help them come home too?"

Ira looked away. "It's not that easy, I mean just to save those souls in the manor we would have to take out the sirens; send them back to the spirit world were they would lose their power over those lost ghosts. That's not counting finding away to uncorrupt the ghosts that have been there for a while. It's too much for one person to take on."

Sokka picked up a water tribe helmet with the head of a wolf motif and a face guard. He put it on his head. "So we'd all become monster hunters then?"

Ira lifted an eyebrow. "What is this 'we' you speak of? I have agreed to nothing besides the avatar is supposed to be the one keeping peace between the spirit world and the land of the living. I fear he would be quite put out if two spirits and a ghost started doing his job."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Nah, before I died I was part of Avatar Aang's team. He's so busy with human stuff he doesn't have time to deal with all the spiritual issues going on, he doesn't have time for all the human stuff, and besides ghosts aren't exactly in his repertoire either. This seems more like inter spirit issue. Please you really can't expect me to do this alone. I won't know where to start."

"He really wouldn't." Yue agreed. She gave Ira a smile. "The avatar is the bridge between the spirit world and the land of the living. He has nothing to do with the land of the dead. Ira, I can see it in your eye; you feel pain for those poor trapped souls." She stepped toward the spirit, "We can do something about it, you are the North Star, I am the moon, and Sokka is," She looked at him and sighed, "A ghost with a good heart."

Sokka pulled off the helmet he was trying on. "I am also your faithful knight!"

Ira was thoughtful for a moment. "Two spirits and a ghost, taking on other powerful spirits that have human souls trapped in the land of the living or the spirit world? I'd say such an endeavor would kill us all but since that isn't possible…" He smiled. "Let's do it! What do we have to lose?"

"YES!" Sokka punched the air. "First target the Siren's Manor." He smiled. _Azula I might not have been able to say your life but I'm not going to let you stay trapped in that horrible place._

A/N

_Ira _a male of female name meaning "watchful" in Hebrew.


	2. House of the fallen son

~Chapter Two~

~House of the Fallen Son~

Yue returned to Ira's house racing up the steps two at a time, bursting through the doors of the study where Sokka and Ira sat reading everything they could about sirens.

"The manor, it's back in the clearing!" She yelled rushing up to them. "Clear as the stars in the sky it's back!"

Ira looked up. "So soon? It's only been two weeks."

"Why would it be back so soon?" Sokka asked rubbing his chin.

"They probably think a juicy meal is near bye and want to snag it." Ira answered bitterly.

Yue nodded; worry in her blue eyes. "Yes, there is, actually, Avatar Aang and his friends are a few miles from the manor heading in its direction. They've stopped for the night but I fear they will reach the manor by tomorrow." She looked over at Sokka. "I think they're looking for you."

Sokka slammed his book closed. "Then we have to beat them to the house. I refuse to let those sirens have another victim, I don't want my friends to meet the same fate I did!"

Ira nodded. "Looks like we go tonight. Suit up young warrior and Heroto?"

Heroto put the pile of books he was carrying down. "Yes Sir?"

"If you would be so kind, watch over this new Avatar and his friends. If they make a move towards the manor try to lead them away. I don't want any of them to be caught in the cross fire."

Heroto bowed. "Yes Sir."

.o.

Sokka stood in the clearing looking back at the house of sirens. He gulped. "I don't presume ghosts can fall under a siren's spell, can they?"

Ira bit his lip. "I don't think so, but it is a possibility. I'd keep your helmet on just in case. That should protect you."

Sokka nodded. "Sure, um, so how are we going to slay these things? I tried to slice one in half before and that did nothing."

Ira summoned a white flame to his hand. "Mortal weapons won't work against them but I may have an alternative way to send the back to the spirit world." He looked at Sokka. "Sadly, I believe your talents would best be served looking for that friend you spoke of, not engaging these monsters."

Sokka crossed his arms. "Azula's not a friend. She's an old enemy."

Ira tilted his head. "You humans are so strange, you have such fragile lives and yet you would sacrifice them for an enemy. Strange, but endearing."

Sokka was about to say something but Yue suddenly appeared next to them. "I've tried my best to see inside the house but all the drapes are closed and there's nothing in the attic. I'm afraid I can't tell you much about what's on the inside. I'm sorry."

Putting a hand on her shoulder Ira smiled. "You've already done so much my friend. We wouldn't have known the manor had returned if not for you. There's nothing to be sorry about."

Sokka smiled taking her hand. "Once in there I'll start opening all the drapes so you can see in."

"Thanks." Yue smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck Sokka."

Sokka's smile became a little bit goofy. "Thanks."

.o.

The manor was just as dark and spooky as before and even now Sokka felt the eyes of every portrait looking down at him. Ira gave a low whistle.

"It's been quite awhile since I stepped foot in this place." Ira muttered. "You better start your search before they show up."

Sokka nodded and headed into one room leaving Ira to survey the room for just a little bit longer.

"I see they haven't changed much." He looked at painting of a particularly beautiful fire nation girl. "Still elegantly creepy as ever I see."

_"Why would we change was is perfect North Star?" _A ghostly siren asked manifesting in her own smoky form her golden eye glowing. "_It's been a while, why come visit now? Have you missed me and my sisters?"_

"I would never miss creatures that pray on the fear and pain of human souls. Speaking of which, you've been taking things that don't belong to you…again." Ira put his hands on his hips.

The siren frowned. _"Us? But we're not sitting on rocks singing! I thought that was the agreement. Have we really made such an error again? Sisters do you think we've broke the agreement or is the not star telling tales?" _Her voice was dripping with mock surprise.

Two more sirens floated out of the walls and join the first. The tallest of the three bit her lip. _"I don't know sister, have we? I thought we were following the rules."_

Ira took a step forward pointing at the sisters. "You know exactly what you've done! I am the keeper sailors _and_ solders and you have trapped many of my children! You've over stepped your bonds again and this time I intend to make sure you stay away from all humans from this point on!"

The smallest of the sirens laughed. _"I think spirit, it is you who have over stepped your bounds! We are not in the spirit world North Star; do you really have the jurisdiction to control us? Isn't this a job for the Avatar?"_

Ira summoned his lantern, which was now at the end of a staff, and slammed the bottom of the staff on to the marble floor creating a defining crash. "I have grown tired of waiting for the Avatar to fix all the problems in the world, for eons he has ignored the souls trapped by spirits. He's left them trapped for so many of his cycles I doubt he even knows their plight! So if I am over stepping my bounds, so be it! I no longer care and something must be done." His right eye glowed brightly. "Now will you be good lesser spirits and go back to the spirit world without a fight or will I have to send you there myself?"

.o.

Sokka rubbed his gloved hands together looking at a room now filled with moon light "Well that was a success. Hopefully Yue will have a better view now."

He left what he believed to be a ballroom and walked passed the room that before had the spinning globe now he saw a little girl slowly spinning it. She looked so scared and alone Sokka felt pulled towards her. She jumped when Sokka put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, there little one. What's your name?"

The girl looked at him and blinked. "You can see me Mr. Knight?"

Sokka laughed. "Yes, I can see you. Now what's your name?"

"I'm Yeaza."

"Yeaze, that's a very pretty name." He smiled though it was hiding by the face guard, "Now can you tell me how long you've been here?"

The little girl glanced down. "I don't remember. It's been so long I can't remember." She looked like she was about to cry. "Mr. Knight can you help me find my mommy?"

Sokka kneeled down so he was at her level. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"When we first came here, it was raining and we were trying get out of the rain and," She bit her lip. "I don't remember anything after that, I want to leave this place but I can't without mommy."

Sokka nodded. "I'll do my best to help you find your mother and get out of this place. I'm actually looking for someone too. Can you tell if you've seen a young woman with black hair and gold eyes? She would be new around here."

Yeaza was thoughtful for a moment. "If she's new I haven't seen her. There are lots of young woman with black hair and gold eyes here but if they're really pretty the sirens keep them locked away. I don't know where but I think my mommy is with them. She was the prettiest!" She started to cry. "I miss mommy."

Sokka whipped her tears away. "It's ok, I'll find your mommy please stop crying. Hey, I'm going to leave you for a bit but I'll be back but while I'm gone can you open all the drapes and let the moonlight in?"

She nodded. "Ok, I can do that. Oh Mr. Knight, please watch out for the sirens, they trap everyone who wonders through this house if their not careful."

Sokka nodded. "I will. Stay safe Yeaza I'll be back."

Yeaza jumped from her spot. "Ok, bring mommy back with you!"

.o.

Yue sat by the fountain her legs against her chest. She knew Sokka had given her a way to enter the house but she just couldn't pull herself from the deep pool of water. A tear ran down her face as she looked at Sokka's body still trapped under the surface of the water. It wasn't fair that his body was trapped there to decay like all the others. A cloud moved, shining light into the pool. Her eyes widened when she spotted his sword shining in the moonlight.

"Every knight needs his sword." She mused remembering that Sokka, while dressed in armor, did not have any weapons. "I wonder if I can reach it?"

.o.

The sirens laughed at Ira, _"Don't fool yourself spirit you maybe old and powerful, but you are not of the old guard. You don't have the power to do as you will!"_

Ira laughed and his nails grew to long talons and the skin become red scales. His eye glowed white. "Oh child, you have no idea the power I posses."

.o.

Sokka looked at the door covered in heavy chains. "Hmmm, I wonder where all those pretty girl souls are being held?"

He tried to phase and hand through the door but only managed to punch the wood. "Ok, dumb move if this door can keep ghosts in why would it not be able to keep ghosts out?" He looked around the room to try to find a key. He sighed spotting the key dangling from a broken candle on the chandelier. "You've got to be kidding me. How am I supposed to reach that?"

He jumped up but even with his ability to hover he couldn't reach it. Sokka tapped the faceplate of his helmet. Suddenly he was reminded of King Bumi. Sokka put his hands on his hips. "Now how would King Bumi reach the key?" His eyes moved up to the ceiling. "Would he even try to reach up?"

.o.

Yue reached down into the water to grab the sword and as her hands closed around the cold steal she smiled. She pulled the weapon out of the water marveling at the black steal until she felt a hand grab the hem of her dress. Whipping around Yue gasped backing away quickly as the bodies of those who had been slain crawled out and towards her.

Her heart practically ripped itself in two when she saw Sokka's body lunge toward her holding a boomerang and a murderous glint in his eye. She dodged his but the boomerang caught her shoulder and tarring her dress. Scared, Yue gripped the sword close to her chest.

"Don't come near me! Please Don't!" She yelled at the slowly advancing Sokka. How could she fight him? Sokka threw his boomerang almost hitting her. She loved him how could she raise his own sword against him?

From behind her she heard a crash and the sound of a siren screaming. Rage filled the moon spirit as she remembered why she was even here. Yue gritted her teeth and held up the sword.

"You are not Sokka anymore." She said more to herself than to anyone else. "I won't let you or those sea wretches cause me anymore pain! I have the real Sokka," a tear ran down her cheek, "you're just a shell he doesn't need anymore!"

.o.

Katara sat bolt up right having just been woken up by a loud and almost in human scream. She turned to her companions. "I wasn't the only one who hear that was I?"

Aang shook his. "No, let's go someone needs our help." He flinched as a white hawk suddenly dived down and grabbed Katara's necklace that was sitting on the ground.

"My Necklace!" Katara yelled seeing the hawk sit in a near by tree almost like he was mocking her.

Zuko shook his head. "Aang, you and Katara try to get the necklace back! Toph and I will head towards the sound!"

.o.

Sokka ran from the room up a set of back stairs and stood about where he thought the chandelier was below him. Jumping slightly up he phased through the floor to grab the key. He missed by a few feet. Cursing Sokka tried again several times before coming up with the better idea of only phasing half way through the floor and reaching down and grabbing the key. He smiled holding the key in hand and then fazes the rest of himself through the floor and crashing into the kitchen floor below because he didn't catch himself in time.

Sokka turned the key in the lock when he heard the Sirens scream. He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of those things feeling a fraction of the fear they had caused others. He threw open the door and was almost bowled over by all the ghosts bursting out. Some looked confused, others scared, and a few others just seemed to be in a daze. One woman seemed to be looking for someone in the crowd.

She grabbed on to Sokka's shoulders. "Please help me! I'm looking for my daughter, can you help me?"

"What's her name?"

"Yeaza, she so young she must be terrified."

Sokka took her hand. "This way, I know where she is."

.o.

Ira smiled as he dusted off his hands in the ruins of what was the front hall. The sirens were gone, and where they had been sent meant they wouldn't be back here for quite awhile. Ira felt cold sharp steel against the back of his neck.

"We heard a woman scream." Zuko said darkly. "Care to explain why we would hear something like that and find a man standing in rubble?"

Ira turned slightly his gold eye glowing. "Not really, no." He smirked before completely disappearing.

Zuko stepped back. "What? How?"

Toph crossed her arms. "I'd ask what you're talking about but to me there was just a disembodied voice saying that he didn't want to explain the mess."


	3. Promises: Made and Kept

~Chapter 3~

Promises: Made and Kept

Yue shook looking down at what she had done, covering her mouth as a tear ran down her cheek. Clutching the black bladed sword in her left hand, Yue turned to walk in to the house and find Sokka. She needed to hear his voice, see his face, and know the headless body behind her wasn't him. In the corner of her eye she saw a light. Silently she prayed it wasn't the sun but soon changed her mind when she recognized Aang holding a flame to light his way through the woods.

Yue bit her lip glancing down at Sokka and Azula's bodies now truly at rest, laying side by side like lovers in a bad tragedy. She wondered if Aang saw her standing over the Sokka clutching his sword they think that it was all her fault. Would they think she was capable? Yue shook her head. No, they wouldn't think that, they couldn't. But as the figure drew closer, her resolve dwindled. Why was she feeling like this? Where was the fear coming from? The image of Aang and Katara leering down at her blaming her for Sokka's death flashed before her eyes. They seemed so big and her so small.

Heroto landed on her shoulder catching her attention. "I think madam it's time you left this place." The hawk suggested. "It seems even with the sirens gone there is still a great chance of being corrupted by the fear they left behind. Even a spirit as powerful as you can be corrupted after all."

Yue gulped. "Yes, let's leave this place. Sokka and Ira will be fine with out us, right?"

The hawk nodded looking down at the darkness that had started at Yue's fingertips and was starting to claim more of the spirit. "I believe both can handled themselves. Please let use leave."

"Yes, ok." She nodded again that this time sent herself and Heroto out of the physical world.

.o.

Sokka couldn't help but smiled seeing mother and child reunited. He jumped a little when he turned to find Ira standing right behind him.

"Ahhh! You trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Ira smirked. "No, but in your current situation I doubt that I could've if I wanted to." He waved his hand and the reunited mother and daughter disappeared.

"Hey! Where'd they go?"

"To the land of the dead, where all the other pure souls have been sent."

Sokka looked at Ira relaxing a little. "So they're still together?"

"Yes, and I believe the two are finally reunited with the rest of the family who have been missing them for quite sometime." He leaned against a wall and smiled at Sokka's confused face. "It's lantern bearer thing don't worry about it."

"Ok, well that's nice I guess for them all to be together again. Wait, the rest of the family is in the Land of the Dead? How long have Yeaza and her mother been trapped her?"

"About two hundred years, give or take."

Sokka let out a whistle, "That's a long time to be trapped in this place."

"Yeah, it is." Ira agreed. "But we can muse about this later, we need to leave. There are some people in the manor that I would rather not deal with again. They are quite hostile."

Sokka looked panicked, "But-but I haven't found Azula yet! We can't leave without finding her!"

Sokka heard tthe sound of a floorboard creaking.

"We'll look for her quickly." Ira instructed. "I doubt you encountering any of the living would end well."

"Why?"

"These two intruders they're quite adversarial as I said before. They may try to attack you and if you get your armor torn up you will be expose to the darkness of this house. I doubt I need to tell you want would happen than. Be careful please on your search."

Sokka nodded running back through the halls looking for any sign of the fifteen-year-old princess. He could hear voices and the sound of foot but he didn't bother to investigate those. That was the sound of living he wasn't looking for that. Finally, he went back to the basement to investigate any part he might have missed. Some one whimpered in the darkness. Sokka fallowed the sound to another part of the basement that he didn't know existed.

There in the middle of a small room she sat, holding a blue flame in her hands, staring at her reflection. One of her arms looked cracked like a broken china doll glued back together with missing pieces. She didn't even turn to face him when he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Azula, it's time to go." Sokka spoke softly.

She looked up at him her eyes narrowing. "You're not my father, I'm not leaving. He has to come get me, bring me home himself." She turned her head to face the mirror once more.

Sokka kneeled down to look her in the eye. "Azula, he's not coming."

"Yes he is!" She said snarling, the crack in her arm grew with every word. "He has to come! He's my father he promised he'd come an find me!"

"Azula, I'm sorry but he's not. That promise it was made by someone else, not your father." Sokka tried to take her arm but she pulled away.

"No! Daddy promised! Don't touch me!" Another crack formed on her arm.

"Azula! Look at your arm! Can't you see this place it hurting you!" Sokka was pleading with her now.

Azula glanced down at her arm but didn't seem to see the cracks instead she saw something else. "My ring! It's gone!" She looked up at Sokka, "What have you done with my ring!? And where's my Father!" She paused for a moment. "Wait, I remember now he's gone to fine my ring." She smiled. "He's such a good father to go find it for me."

Sokka was at a loss for words. He couldn't understand how this could possibly be Azula and yet it was. Was this what happened when a spirit became corrupted? He sighed and tried to talk to her again.

"Azula, He's not coming."

"Yes! He is! He has to! He's the only one who cares! My mother doesn't care! My brother doesn't care! And my uncle especially doesn't care! Only Daddy!"

"Child, your father is not coming." Ira's voice was soft but it still made Sokka jump. The spirit walked out of the shadows and looked down at her with a kindness Sokka could never muster for her, even now. "I'm sorry but he will never come for you."

`"You're lying." Azula wrapped her arms around her sides. "You have to be lying!"

Ira put a gentle hand on the side of her face. "Sadly, I am not, he will never come to look for you here." He glanced down at her arm and frowned. "But you can wait for him with us. Where we are going he will also come."

"But why won't he come here?"

"He doesn't know you're here, he thinks you are where we are going my child." He smiled. "Now come, your arm must be hurting quite a bit, no?"

She nodded. "Ok, it does hurt, a little."

.o.

Sokka looked at the sleeping ghost perplexed, "I don't understand that's Azula but she's off." He looked at Ira, "Why is she so off?"

"Her soul's been damaged and now it's disorganized. She will return to herself but right now she needs some peace."

"Oh. Ira, was this damage done by the sirens?"

Ira shook his head. "No, sadly this damage was done while she lived and because of that it will take all the longer and all the more effort to mend."

Sokka nodded. "But who is going to help her mend? No one liked her that much to waist the energy."

"Oh really? Memory serves you died to save her."

"Yeah, but I don't want to fix her! She was horrible! I died because of her, she deserves to stay broken!" Sokka wasn't sure if he really meant it or not but when he looked at Ira's face he instantly regretted it. "I-I don't mean it."

"Yes, you do." Ira said softly but sternly. "But luckily for her, it's not up to you whether or not I help her. She is one of my children and I refused to let them stay broken."

.o.

Zuko felt completely numb as he pulled Azula's body close. Near by Katara wept for her brother. Aang and Toph stood near not knowing what to do to help. Zuko gritted his teeth and tried his best to hold back the tears. His mind raced remembering the gentleman who had disappeared before him. Zuko didn't know how or when but he would find that spirit and find answers.

He looked down at his little sister. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, I'm sorry I couldn't help you, but I promise on your grave I will find who ever did this and I will end them." He took the silver ring off her finger. "I promise."


	4. Death and a Doxy

~Chapter 4~

~Death and a Doxy~

Azula glared at her teacup moving it away with her good hand. "I don't like tea."

Ira looked up from his book. "What would you like instead, Azula?"

She crossed her arms placing her good arm over the other heavily bandaged one. "I don't know, just not tea."

Ira nodded. "Very well, how does some juice sound?"

She shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Any word on my ring?"

"I have had Heroto looking every where for it." Ira sighed. "Eventually he will find it don't worry."

"Yeah, right. I've been here two weeks any your man has found nothing."

"These things take time."

"Well I would like to have it before I keel over of old age."

Ira grimaced. "Azula…please child you are…"

"Dead, so you tell me." Azula waved it off. "You can tell me as much as you want I won't believe you. This is a dream the refuses end nothing more."

Ira sighed. "It is your choice to believe that my child." He waved a hand over her teacup and it changed to a juice glass. "But only fools fail to believe what is right in front of them."

Azula scoffed and looked away. "Your little magic tricks only confirm that this is a dream." She took a sip of her juice and glance over at Sokka and Yue who were walking in the garden just off the tarries she was sitting on. "But why he's here I can't fathom."

"Maybe because it's not a dream?" Ira suggested. "He died trying to save you, surely you would never dream that."

"Yeah right. It's only in my dreams would one of my lousy brother's friends would care enough to die trying to save me." She rubbed her bandaged arm absent-mindedly.

Ira took a sip of his own tea. "How is your arm feeling? Can I see it?"

"Fine, no." She looked back down at the garden. "I want my father, when is he going to come for me?"

"I don't know when he'll join us, but I believe it won't be for quite a while because..."

"Because he's not dead. You're starting to sound like a parrot-monkey, Ira."

.o.

Yue looked glanced up at the balcony for a second before wrapping an arm around Sokka's. "She's looking at you again."

"No she's glairing at me agian." Sokka corrected as they moved deeper into the garden.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. "Do you want to talk about it?" Yue asked finally.

"No," Sokka pouted. "I don't want to know what happened."

"Really? Not even a little?"  
He sighed. "Maybe a little but I'm afraid to hear about all their pain." He sat down on a near by bench. "I mean is it really normal to hear about one's own funeral?"

Yue nodded. "Yeah, some ghosts even attend their own if they get enough warning."

"That's not creepy."

"They want to be there to comfort their loved ones or hear all the nice things they say about them. One of the two." She pulled him up to his feet and kissed him. "Now come with me I found a fish pond around here yesterday and you must see it!"

They rounded a corner and almost ran into Heroto. "Ah, there you two are, the master wishes to see you both in the library."

"Why?"

"He has gotten word of a new target."

Sokka jumped in to the air. "Finally! We get to see some action! Any idea what we're facing this time?"

.o.

"What do you know of Doxies?" Ira asked standing in front of his desk.

"What's a Doxy?" Sokka asked tilting his head.

Ira sighed. "Well I guess it's better to start with a clean slate than a wrong one." He muttered before addressing Yue and Sokka. "Long ago before there were as many lantern bearers as there are now-"

Sokka raised his hand.

"Yes, Sokka?"

"How many lantern bearers are there now?"

Ira paused for a moment. "All in all there should be 15 of us, but presently there are 13 with 2 of them missing."

Yue tiled her head. "Who's missing?"

"The spirit of Shadows, and the spirit of Sound. No surprise about Sound being missing, he wonders off quite regularly." Ira shook his head. "That really doesn't matter right now. Doxies were once in charge of finding human souls and taking them to the land of the death where they could rest. Since there's a new system in place you can guess that first system didn't work out well."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah what happened?"

"The Doxies started to hoard the souls not giving them the rest they needed."

"Oh, that's bad."

"Very. Most of the Doxies were pulled back in the spirit world and released of their duty. Now most steal little trinkets and hoard them but Heroto has heard of one in the north of the Earth Kingdom that has developed some bad habits."

"So we're off to go rescues the souls from the Doxy? Um what does a Doxy look like?"

Ira opened and book to an illustration of a small dark creature with glowing eyes and was appeared to be wings made only of bone. It was standing next to a flower and was barely taller than it.

"Oh! It's so cute!" Yue cooed.

"Cute as it may be Doxies are extremely strong, they were made by the spirit of Shadows to never let another creature steal souls from them and this one apparently has a wolf helping her."

"How do you know it's a girl?" Sokka asked looking closely at the illustration.

"All Doxies are girls, that's how the Spirits of Shadows made them."

"Ah." Sokka nodded. "So when do we leave?"

"Momentarily, but first a present." He gestured to a long box on the table. "That is from Yue, she felt your armor was a bit bare."  
Slowly, Sokka walked over and opened the long box. He was speechless as he pulled out his space sword with a new scabbard. He smiled pulling the blade out and gazing at the black metal. He sheathed the sword and smiled at Yue. "Thank you."

"I took the liberty of modifying your sword slightly." Ira commented. "Not only will it be able to phase through things like you and your armor. It will also be able to harm other spectral beings like yourself." He stepped up to Sokka and held out of his hand. "May I?" Sokka nodded and held out the sword, which Ira took. He pulled the blade out and pointed it right at Sokka's neck. "Go for a kill blow and you'll send them too the book keeper who will decide their fate." He put the sword down before handing it back to Sokka.

"And if I deliver a death blow to a human?"

"They'll die and you'll either become corrupted right then and there or get really close to it. The living are not meant to be harmed by the dead so if you do come across a human that is itching for a fight, just punch them or hit them with the broad side."

Sokka nodded. "Ok." He put his sword back in the scabbard before slinging it over his back. "So can we leave now?"

"Yes, let's."

.o.

Azula wondered through the halls of the manor for no other reason other than she could. Ira had left Heroto in charge of her care and so she knew somewhere the white hawk was watching her. She really didn't care anymore let him watch. She looked at her arm and undid some of the bandages to look at the strange cracks in her arm. She was tempted to touch one but stopped seeing something white at the corner of her eye.

"You're not hiding yourself Heroto! Come out!"

A woman with long white hair and a flowing gown stepped out from a painting on the wall. She looked sort of like the moon spirit always hanging around Sokka but not, this woman was older and had a hardness in her eyes. "I'm not Heroto." She said in a musical voice that was so much like her mother's Asula half expected the woman to take on her face but she did not. "But I will acquiesce to your request."

Azula frowned. "Who are you?"

"I don't have a name, not really but my lover calls me Nix."

"Ok 'Nix' why haven't I seen you around before?"

"You've walked passed my painting hundreds of times so the reason is yours."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "You live in a painting?"

"I do not live, since I do not really exist." She looked up at the painting. "I am merely an idea, a dream that can walk these halls while my star is away."

Azula shook her head. "I am so glad this is a dream. If it wasn't I think I would find this place completely insane."

Nix shrugged. "Have it your way. What happed to your arm child?"

"I dreamed it broken."

"Can I see?"

Azula made a blue flame. "No! Why do people keep trying to see it?!"

"Sorry I didn't mean to upset you." Nix gave a small smile. "I just wanted to know if your arm looked like my legs." She pulled up her skirt to show her legs cracked just like Azula's arm.

"What happened?" Azula asked. "How does a painting get hurt?"

Nix looked out the window. "My star was dreaming of me when a dark force invaded his dream and attacked us. I was partially shattered in that nightmare and ever since my legs have looked like this and worse my love dreams of me no longer." She sighed. "He paints me in oils and thinks of me but he does not dream like he used to."

Azula shook her head. "Well that's sad and all, but I think I'll leave you to your star gazing and see what else is in this place. There's nothing else to do here but that."

"You could go into town." Nix suggested. "There are many other souls there to talk to and things to do. Ask Heroto, I bet he'll gladly take you for a stroll into town."

Azula tapped her chin. "Maybe I will." She looked back and found the woman back in her picture holding a small lantern with a white flame. "Father come quickly, I'm losing my mind."

.o.

Ozai was reclined in his cell counting the cracks in the wall for the thousandth time when the cell door opened and his brother entered. Ozia looked at Iroh quizzically. "It's not my birthday brother why are you here?"

Iroh looked down. "I am sorry to say I am the bearer of bad news."

Ozai chuckled. "I believe bad news is in the eye of the beholder. Where is Zuko? Surely he would rejoice in trying to wound me."  
"He could not bring himself to come. This news it pains him too much." Iroh sighed. "I know we haven't been the closest of brothers but I am here for you."

"You certainly are building up this news. What could it possibly be?" Ozai smirked. "Did Lady Mai have a miscarriage?"

Iroh looked at his brother with pitiful eyes. "Azula is dead."

The color drained from Ozai's face. "You're lying."

"I'm not, she is dead brother."

"No! You're lying!" Ozai stood clutching his fists wishing he could set the liar on fire. "Get out! Get out you lying traitor! She's not dead!"

"Brother, please." Iroh reached out to his brother. "I am so sorry but it's true."

"Liar! Get out! Leave my sight! I never want to see you again!"

Iroh nodded and left the room sadly as his brother cursed his name. Ozai gipped the bars and slowly feel to his knees. "She can't be dead. He's lying; they're just trying to get me to break. That's it they just want me to break." He stood up and laughed. "Well I'm not going let them break me! Right Azula?"

A woman made of smoke baring Azula's face suddenly appeared sitting on his bed. One of her eyes glowed gold as she spoke with a smile. "Exactly right Father."

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading this newest installment. If you haven't figured it out by now I'm trying something new were while there will be an over arching plot the story will have more of a monster of the week flavor. This is to keep the plot moving and to really get a good taste of the mechanics of the world and the monsters in it. I would really love your impute but please don't feel like you have to comment just because I asked. Really, just having you read my story is enough for me. I'll see you later! ~ C.C.

P.S. Title is inspirited by the Nero Wolfe book "Death of a Doxy"


	5. A Town of Lavender

~Chapter 5~

~A Town of Lavender~

When Ira had told Sokka that they would be facing a wolf, he has expected a normal wolf. He was not expecting this wolf, which was only a wolf on the academic sense: it was cyanine in feature but was so much more. The snarling creature before him was half the size of a moose lion but just as vicious. The creature didn't even consist of flesh and blood but shadow and bone. Teeth and terror was the best description Sokka had for the creature as it lunged toward him.

Their small group has only just entered the beast's territory when it manifested from the shadows and attacked. The creature seemed to be fixated on Yue as it charged and parried with the group. The fight was a mess as the wolf could dodge most of Ira and Sokka's attacks. Yue gave light to the situation, which seemed to weaken the shadow wolf but not enough to make a real difference. Finally, it tired to lunge at Yue and Sokka stepped in between the two letting the wolf bit down but not through his armor. Using the butt of his sword he stuck the creature in the head. It gave a yelp and sank back into the shadows.

"It will be watching us from the shadows." Ira noted. "Why didn't you just dispatch it?"

Sokka pulled off his helmet. "I thought if I killed a living thing I would be corrupted."

"Did that seem living to you?" Ira asked annoyed.

"I don't know, yes! It did!"

"News flash that was a wolf spirit, next time if you get the chance dispatch the damn thing!" Ira turned away. "Now come one, we need to complete this task before sun rise or we'll have to wait a whole day for another shot."

"Yes, sir." Sokka mumbled bitterly putting the helmet back on.

.o.

Heroto didn't ask Azula where she had heard of the town, he just closed the book he was writing in and escorted her to it. It was nighttime but the place was buzzing with people. Men, woman and children strolled through the lavender smelling streets carefree laughing paying no mind to the late hour. Azula wondered whether Heroto would fallow her the whole time but he simply gave her a bag and some gold coins.

"When you're ready to come home just call for me or walk back yourself." Heroto winked before becoming a hawk and flying off.

Azula pocketed the money as she wandered the streets of this lander town. Her eyes caught site of a small stall with theater masks like the ones her mother let her play with as a child. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a white mask that was both grinning and frowning. It was simple, elegant, a picture of a woman's face that Azula found beautiful. The stall owner looked at her as she gazed at the mask.

"You have fine taste miss." He picked up the mask. "This the mask of Princess Sona of Sato Kie's great epic Fire Lady."

"Ah, I've never seen that one."

The man chuckled. "Are you new?"

Azula gritted her teeth, it was hard to keep convincing herself this was a dream when people asked questions like that. She sighed and decided it would be best to play along. "Yes, I am."

"Well that's why you've never heard of it. Sato Kie wrote it after his death but before he decided to reincarnate himself. It's truly a great tail of a princess falling in love and encountering the old guard. A true master piece." He bent down and pulled out a book of normal size. "I'll sell you a copy of the book and the mask for two gold pieces."

Azula's interest was peaked so she paid the man and was handed the two items. She placed them in the bag Heroto had given her and wondered further into the town. Finally, after an hour of walking she stopped in front of teashop. Rolling her eyes she walked in.

"At least I can read a little of this 'epic' while choking down some tea." Sitting in a secluded corner Azula ordered the least offensive tea, opened the book and started to read.

_Sona walked through the halls of her father in both elation and terror. She was in love but she knew her father would never accept such a match. Feeling both panic and elation she ventured toward her father's chamber the silver ring (her lover's gift) secure on her finger._

Azula looked at her hand wishing her own ring was there. Absentmindedly she took a sip of her tea and returned her attention to her book.

.o.

Ira made his lantern glow brighter, lighting the pathway so none of them tripped. It had been a very long time since he had seen a Doxy and wondered whether the years had changed them. His eye caught site of a blue flame sitting near a small glade. The creature turned to face them a small glowing ball in its hand. The creature's glowing white eyes turned red as it pulled the little orb close and shadow monsters rose out of the ground.

Ira readied himself as the shadow monsters charged at them.

.o.

Mai walked into the place library to find Zuko asleep next to a candle that had burned itself out. Looking at the book Zuko had been reading, Mai realized he had been researching human looking spirits. Sadly, she shook her head and gently woke Zuko up and helped him to bed. She noticed the silver ring he had dangling from a chain around his neck but didn't bring it up. It hurt her to see him so upset about Azula's passing; surely Azula would not have felt the same if the roles where reversed.

As she set him in bed he mumbled something about Sokka. For a moment she was stunned but than a new idea occurred to her. Sokka had been his best friend maybe Zuko was hurting from the loss of his sister and a close friend. She returned to the library to look at the book her boyfriend had fallen asleep on. She tilted her head reading the first passage.

"While Human in appearance Lantern Bearers are extremely powerful spirits thought to be the descendants of the old guard, a group of malevolent spirits credited with creating the universe. Lantern Bearers are grim reapers who while never being documented as the cause of death can only be seen at the scene of death. They are named Lantern bearers because of the white spirit fire they wield to lead souls from their bodies to the land of the dead." Mai looked up from the book. "Well that's a grim topic even for me. What are you looking for Zuko?"

.o.

Azula looked up form her book annoyed at two other patrons who had decided to start an argument a few tables over.

"And how exactly grandfather do you think that would have worked? You'd have two dead princes not one!" The younger man sat down. "I for one am glad Aunt Ursa poisoned you. You're a horrible person."

The older man that was being yelled at simply took a sip of tea. "The thing you don't see Lu Ten was that it was a lesson for my younger son, Ozai needed to learn pain and loss, to understand respect. It was never about Zuko."

Lu Ten scoffed. "You're a cruel man grandfather."

"And you're a dead man grandson."

"Yes, I'm a dead man but at least I don't have a cousin here to join me."

Azula felt her mouth go dry. She knew those men they were dead so dead that she had been to both their funerals. Why would she dream this? Paying for her tea she stood up and shaking tried to walk past the two unnoticed. Lu Ten grabbed her bandaged arm to stop her.

"Azula?" He asked not letting go.

Azula kept her face turned away. "Let me go, you're hurting me."

Lu ten's grip loosened but he didn't let go. "Azula is that you?"

She turned to face her cousin. "Yes! It's me! Are you happy?"

Lu ten shook his head looking at his young cousin with pity. "No, what are you doing here?"  
"Being dead!" She wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "Just like every other failure here! I'm dead!" She bolted from the shop and back to the manor.

She didn't need to breath but she was breathing heavy as she pounded on the door. Heroto didn't answer the door, Nix did. She looked down at Azula with her solemn blue eyes.

"Let me in!" Azula demanded. "Please, let me in."

Nix opened the door wide. "Of course my child." She stepped back. "Come right in."

The princess rushed past her to the room Ira had given her. Setting her bag on a chair she fell face first into the bed. Someone sat next to her on the bed and patted her back.

"What's wrong my little dragon?" Nix asked kindly the way Azula has always hoped her mother would.

"I'm dead." She said into the covers. "I died."

"Yes, you did." Nix said soothingly. "That is the price for life is death, but it's not so bad." Nix tried to stroke Azula's hear but her long fingers got caught in the tangles. "Oh come now, sit up my little dragon, your hair is in shambles."

Wiping her face Azula sat up and let Nix brush her hair. After a while Nix spoke up.

"You have beautiful hair, do you know that?"

Azula nodded. "My mother said it was my best feature, well actually a hallucination of her said it always had beautiful hair but same thing I guess."

Nix laughed. "Well I wouldn't call it your best feature darling. You have such a pretty face too." She got up and grabbed something from a jewel box before returning to work with her hair.

"I don't know about that, most people were a afraid of me in life." She looked down. "They all thought I was a monster even my mother."

Nix sighed. "At lot of people think a lot of things are monsters. One man called my lover a monster because he 'took' his son away. But he was just doing his job."

Azula smirked. "Well, I think I'm a monster too." She summoned a blue flame. "If you knew what I have done you'd think I was a monster too."

"I don't know, I don't think I could see any of my children as monsters, injured angry creatures yes, but monster? I don't think I have the nature for it."

Azula looked at Nix. "Who are your children?"

"If I existed, I would be the 14th lantern bearer, responsible for the victims of war whether they are men, woman, or child. Any one killed by war and not a solider I would lead home. They are my children and I love them all."

"I'm not a victim, I'm a solider."

"Than you'd be my lover's charge." She smiled pulling Azula's hair up in to a bun and securing it with an intricate hair ornament. "Regardless, I still can't see you as a monster."

Azula looked at herself in the mirror and snorted. "Well you're the only one." She turned back to see an empty room. "Of course the only thing that doesn't think I'm a monster doesn't exist by her own admission." She looked back at the mirror and gently touched the ornament. "But she does do nice hair."

.o.

Ira sent another black of fire dissipating another shadow creature. He loomed over the Doxy who looked up at him. She had big eyes and clutched the little white orb close. Ira could feel the guilt off the creature as she coward before him. He kneeled down and reached out his hand.

"Come on, give me the soul you know it doesn't belong to you."

The Doxy shook her head. It clutched the orb close and pointed to a nearby cave.

"Are the other souls you've collected in there?"

The Doxy nodded.

"Do you want me too take them home?"

Again the Doxy nodded.

"But not the one you have?"

Another.

"Why?"

Reluctantly the Doxy held up the small orb for Ira to see.

"Oh, it's broken."

The Doxy pulled the orb back and held it close.

"And if you let it go it will shatter won't it?"

Again the Doxy nodded.

Sokka looked over at Yue. "So do you have any idea what's going on?"

She shook her head. "I think it's a lantern bearer thing."

In the distance a wolf howled making the two jump.

A/N Hey everyone! Thanks for all the support in comments! I really love reading them. Here's hoping that you enjoyed this chapter. As always comment if you feel so compelled. Until next time~ C.C.


	6. Puki

Chapter 6

Puki

Sokka looked at Ira who had the Doxy sitting on his shoulder still clutching the small white orb.

"Are you sure that's wise to have her sitting on your shoulder like that?" Sokka asked.

Ira smiled. "I trust her. She's the first doxy I've ever met that actually cares about the souls they are supposed to watch over."

He stepped into the cave his staff illuminating the small space. In a corner tucked away, almost a thousand sat gleaming like little glowing pearls. Ira smiled and patted the little doxy on the head. "Beautiful little one, not one corrupted."

If the doxy could have smiled Sokka guessed right now it would be beaming. Sokka looked at all the small soul pearls. "So what do we do with them now that we found them? They can't all be soldiers can they?"

Ira shook his head. "No, some are but many aren't." He kneeled down and waved his lantern over the pearls and many of the pearls burst becoming small flames before flying into the flame of lantern, leaving around thirty pearls.

.o.

Heroto smiled closing his loge book. "Finally, I've caught up with all the new arrivals." He leaned back. "I can finally relax."

"Um, Sir?" Heroto looked up to see a band of six Earth-Kingdom soldiers. "Can you tell us where we are? We're supposed to be aiding General Howl."

Heroto's eye twitched as he took a deep breath and reopened the book. "Welcome gentlemen to the Manor of the Northern Star, I am Heroto his faithful, and overworked, Harold." He tented his fingers looking at the group. "And you are all dead."

.o.

Ira sighed. "Looks like the rest of these we are going to need to be hand deliver to their rightful lantern bearer." He summoned a bag from nowhere and places them carefully in.

Sokka nodded. "Ok, who do they belong to?"

"From what I can tell most of these people died in a natural disaster which would be the spirit of Excess." He sighed standing up. "Great, I love dealing with her." He said sarcastically dusting off his pants. The little creature on his shoulder looked down. "Aw it's not your fault little one. You did good keeping them safe." He smiled. "You, little one, need a name. Sokka you're good at naming things what should we name her?"

Sokka looked at the creature. Yes, she was cute in the whole dark impish way but something about her proportions reminded him of the doll his mother had made for him while she was pregnant. Later he had given it to his sister since it was too girly for him to have. He wracked his brain trying to remember what Katara had named the doll, giving up he suggested the name he had for it. "How about Puki?"

The doxy was thoughtful for a moment then nodded vigorously.

Ira smiled. "I think that's a yes."

Yue walked ran into the cave. "Hey boys we've got a problem. The wolf is back and she looks angry."

Puki looked up at Ira and the elder spirit sighed. "You weren't working with the wolf were you?"  
She shook her head.

"Ok." Ira turned to look at Sokka. "You're up swordsmen."

Sokka gulped. "Me?"

Ira nodded. "Yes, I've got to keep these souls safe and Yue's can't fight that thing on her own. You've got the sword, send that thing to the book keeper!"

Sokka took another gulp and lowered his face guard. "Ok, Sokka of the Southern Water tribe you can do this." He muttered to himself walking to the mouth of the cave.

.o.

Katara leaned against the palace wall looking up at the night sky.

"You couldn't sleep either?" Zuko asked walking up to her, offering her a hot cup of tea, which she accepted.

"Yeah." She took a sip. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Zuko looked out at the night sky. "How are you doing?"  
Katara shrugged. "I'll live…but I miss him."

Zuko nodded. "I miss him too." Zuko took a sip of his own tea. "Sad part is, I keep trying to think of what he would say to us if he could see us now."

Katara smirked. "He'd probably say something about him being dead meat to try and cheer us up."

Zuko laughed. "Yeah, it would probably be some bad pun or he'd say we weren't being sad enough. You aren't sad enough! Morn harder!" He said in his best Sokka impression.

Katara laughed. "Or he'd complain to us about the lack of food in the spirit world!"

Zuko nodded. "He's probably stuck in some hole in the spirit world because of his own clumsiness." He looked down his smile fading. "Maybe my cousin Lu-ten is helping him out of it."

Katara sighed. "Or maybe he's with mom or Yue."  
"The girl that was turned into the moon?"

She nodded looking up at the full moon. "Yeah, I bet he's with her. Holding her close letting her know he's not going to leave her side." She smiled a tear running down her cheek. "I hope he's with her. I don't think he ever really got over losing her."

Zuko nodded. "I hope so too."

.o.

"YUUUEEEEEEeeeee!" Sokka ran from the wolf diving behind a tree. "Help!"

Yue floated above the trees. "How?"

"I don't know! You're the moon! Can't you do something?"

"I'm the moon, what can I do?" Yue tilted her head. "Why are you dodging it? You can become intangible!"

Sokka paused becoming intangible right as the wolf jumped through him. "Oh, oh yeah!"

The wolf growled turning around ready to make another charge. Gripping his sword, Sokka readied himself and waited for the right moment. The beast jumped and Sokka pierced the beast's breast. Sokka watched it stagger a few steps before collapsing and turning into what look like black moths that flew away in the moon light. Sokka hung his head while Yue wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"You ok?" She asked sweetly.

Sokka shook his head. "No, I know that wolf was a threat but this didn't feel right."

Yue took off his helmet and kissed his cheek. "If it didn't feel right hold on to that feeling. It means you're still you."

.o.

Azula looked at the soldiers milling around then back at Heroto. "This seems terribly boring."

Heroto nodded. "It is."

She looked down at her book and started to read another passage. "Why do you do it then?"

"Because someone has to and Ira absolutely despises paper work."

"And you don't?"  
"Usually I don't, but lately with the massive casualties of the war having just come through I find my self eagerly anticipating a time with a few less new arrivals." He marked something down on his leger. "So have you finally accepted that you're dead?"

Azula turned the page in her book. "Yes, I have. Heroto?"  
"Yes?"

"Have you ever read this book before?"

He leaned over. "Which book is it?"

"Sato's Fire Lady."

"Ah yes, touching love story with a nice epic tying it together. How far are you?"

"Sona's just come to the Land of the Dead after telling her father who her lover was and getting executed for it." She frowned. "It's quite depressing."

"Don't worry it get's better."

"I hope so." She turned another page. "It would be damn depressing if it didn't."

One of the soldiers walked up and looked at Azula. "I'm sorry miss but you look kind of like that Fire Nation princess."

Azula turned to the man and summoned a blue flame. "That's because I am rock head. Now did you come up here to ask Heroto a question or stall him and make his job harder?"

The soldier backed away. "Uhhhh."

"That's what I thought." She extinguished the flame. "Now go back to your company and let the man work."

The soldier quickly returned to the other soldiers. "You know he was trying to be nice…I think."

"I don't have time for nice, nor was he trying to be nice he was trying to see whether or not I was a monster. I just saved him time and confirmed it."

"Ah." Heroto wrote another note down. "Well in the future try not to frighten the new arrivals so much, they are quite fragile at this state."

"Noted, but I make no promises."

Heroto smiled. "I'll make a note of that."

A/N: Hey guys! Here's a gift for you while I go into two weeks of finals! Yay! Let's hope all goes well. As always Comment if you feel so compelled. Also sorry I you find this chapter a little short but what I'm trying to do is keep an episodic feel so that every three chapters is one episode and you'll see this more in the next chapters and how they are named. Well I've babbled enough, off to the textbooks!


	7. Beauty and the Banshee part 1

Chapter 7

Beauty and Banshee

Part 1

Sokka had always thought 'slept like the dead' was in reference to a person's corps resting in the ground but as he stripped off his armor and fall into his bed he wondered if it was a little more literal. There was tiredness in his very soul after fighting that wolf and still the image of its death haunted him. He smiled pulling the soft sheets over himself and falling asleep. The rest he had earned he gratefully collected on.

An indeterminate amount of time passed before Yue woke him up gently. He looked up at her sweetly smiling face through groggy eyes and smiled lazily back.

"You know it used to only be able to see you in dreams, not in the and waking up from them."

She giggled. "You're sweet." She tucked a piece of lose hair behind her ear. "Sleep well?"

Sokka sat up and yawned. "Yeah. Didn't know how tiered fighting that wolf would make me."

Yue nodded. "Well every action takes energy especially in the living world. Fighting that wolf really took is out of you, you've been asleep for three days."

"Three days?!" He looked at her in surprise. "Why am I not hungry?" He stretched again. "Or stiff?"

"You don't have muscles to be stiff or a stomach to crave food." She ruffled his hair. "Sleep, however, revives the soul."

"Huh, learn something new everyday." He looked over at her. "So, I take it I could have slept longer if you hadn't woken me up."

She nodded. "Yeah, you could have slept, weeks, months, years, if I hadn't woken up but I had my own reasons for doing it." She looked at him and smiled. "Get up my knight, we have a big day planed." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "It will be fun."

Sokka looked out the window then back at her. "Uh Yue, it's night time out there."

Yue chuckled. "Silly boy, the night is a spirit's and ghost's day. Our Sun is the North Star always pointing the way back home. Now get up, I have plans for us, we're getting out of here for a bit."

Sokka shook his head as he got up and started to pull on to his armor. "So where are we going?"

"The human world, to the festival of spirits!"

.o.

Ira sighed looking at the glowing little ball sitting in a small crystal goblet soaking in spirit water. Puki sat near it gazing at it. She reached out to the goblet but Ira stopped her.

"Leave it sweet heart."

The little creature looked up at him.

"It won't heal if it doesn't soak." He picked the little creature up and set her on his shoulder. "Come on, we have work to do."

The little creature looked back.

"It will be fine. Now come on we have stuff to do." He picked up the bag and slung it over his other shoulder. "Now, my little darling, have you ever seen another Lantern Bearer aside from your creator and me?"

Puki shook her head.

"Well you're about to."

He walked in to the hall and passed Azula with her nose in a book.

"Azula."

The girl stopped. "They were annoying Heroto, all I did was threatening them to get back in line so he could do his work. That's all!"

Ira raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I wasn't going to ask about that at all. Heroto said you were very helpful and left it at that. I was going to ask if you'd like to come with me as I visit a few other Lantern Bearers, but if you'd rather stay here and read your book I understand."  
She looked over her book at him. "How often do you go on these little trips?"

Ira sighed. "Last time I saw another Lantern Bearer was about three hundred years ago."

"Does time pass faster for creatures like you? Are hours like seconds?"

Ira tilted his head at the odd question. "No we feel every second, every minute just as slow as you do. Why do you ask?"

"It's a line in my book." She closed the book. "Well since this is a rare occurrence I'll come." She smirked as she walked passed him and headed to the door. "Are you coming? And what is that sitting on your shoulder?"  
Ira caught up to her. "Of course Princess and this is a Doxy, her name's Puki."  
Azula looked unimpressed. "Did that buffoon from the Southern Water Tribe name her?"

"He did actually, and Puki likes her name. Don't you Puki?"

Puki nodded, smiling with her eyes.

.o.

The Earth Nation town glowed with white paper lanterns burning in to the night. People walked everywhere in makes, or painted faces, or none at all. Sokka could see a glow around some people that seem unearthly aura that no one else seemed to notice.

"Those who glow are ghosts and spirits." Yue explained taking Sokka's arm and walking through the streets. "The living can't see the glow so don't draw attention to it." She smiled tapping him on the shoulder. "Smile have fun, think of this as…an activity."

Sokka looked at her remembering his time at the Northern Water Tribe. "An activity? Like the date type of activity?"

Some color came to her cheeks. "Yeah, I figured we hadn't really had time to just hang out together, I mean like a real couple." She looked away. "I mean I've kind of just assumed that with you with me we'd get back to the way we were but I know things changed with you more then that did with me."  
Sokka gave a heave sigh. "Let's not talk about that stuff right now and have fun." He spotted a food stand. "So…can I eat?"

Yue giggled and nodded. "Yes, you can. Food's free too! Because none of the vender's know who's living and who's a spirit and they don't want to chance angering one. This is a festival to honor the spirits and have them interact with the people. A snubbed spirit is a bad thing tonight."

"Probably a good idea. Angry spirits, not the nicest things to deal with."

.o.

Azula had figured the land of the dead was just like Ira's domain all over, but it was becoming more and more apparent the whole world was as diverse, or even more diverse, then the land of the living. The three walked through a dark forest of trees devoid of leaves and gold chains entangled in to the branches instead. Azula saw luminescent purple ivy growing on the ground and up the trees. A canopy of stars she had never seen before stretched over them. White wisps floated through the trees along with fantastic creatures and human spirits. A little ways off, she spotted avatar Roku sitting talking to his dragon Fang. She looked up at Ira.

"What is this place?"  
"The forest of excess and absence."

"Ah, and what types of souls end up here?"

"Those who have died of starvation or from a natural disaster." Ira sighed looking at a small girl petting a fire fox. "This place gives people the balance in comfort they didn't get in life. I've always found it a sweetly somber place."

Azula nodded. "Yeah, I'm getting that vibe. So can you tell me why Avatar Ruko's here?"

"He died in the molten rock of and exploding volcano, I think that qualifies as a natural disaster."

Azula nodded. "Ah, so who resides over this realm?"

"Well not to sound redundant but this realm is ruled by the Spirits of Excess and Absence. We are hear to see the Spirit of Excess, some the souls Sokka, Yue and I recovered were killed in a flood so they belong to her."

"Spirit of Excess, huh?" She noticed there were even more gold chains hanging from the trees. Silver chains and jewel-incrusted pendants now adorn the branches now. "What does she look like?"

Ira smirked. "How you expect her to look, except she's not fat like you would assume."

"Oh."

.o.

Ozai leaned against the wall of his cell listening to his daughter sing to him a somber lullaby. A smile graced the disgraced Fire Lord's lips. He loved it when his Azula sang to him; he felt a peace that he had never before. He was a whole man but even with this newfound peace he sensed eyes in the darkness. They watched and waited he knew not for what but as Azula sang he didn't care.

_Sleep, slumber and lye _

_The day is done, _

_So it's time for the sun to die_

_The time for rest has come_

_Don't worry about your tears_

_Don't think about your fears_

_They will all fade like pain_

_Lost like tears in the rain_

.o.

Yue hung on to Sokka's arm laughing, it almost felt like she was alive again. She held him close as they passed the different booths and expositions. There was so much joy in her she thought she might start to glow. Sokka was cracking jokes every few moments and smiling down at her making her heart flutter. Everywhere around them was the noise of people laughing, or talking, or music wafting through the air. Then suddenly it all stopped, the people stopped laughing, stopped talking, stopped playing. The lanterns went out one by own and then She had to cover her ears as a scream ripped through the crowds. Yue was pulled down by Sokka but looked up to see a woman dressed in rags hovering over the panicked people below. She smiled as floating orbs collected in her hands.

"What is she?" Sokka asked drawing his sword.

Yue felt a twinge of fear. "That's a Banshee, Sokka, that's what happens when a Siren goes rouge."

She could feel Sokka stiffen. "How doomed are these people?"

"They're already dead."

.o.

Azula gaped looking up at the woman sitting on a golden thrown. She had Emerald eyes, pale skin, and ruby red hair that was wrapped and entangled with her antlers that stretched up to the ceiling a white flame lantern hung from her left antler. She was about twice the size of Ira in height and was covered in gold chains. She wore no clothing but because of the chains at first glance you would have thought her dressed. She was terrifying as she beautiful, and she was very beautiful. She loomed over them holding a cup of red liquid in one hand.

"North Star, to what do I owe you're visit." She took a sip of her drink and her eyes became dark. "You're not here to cause trouble are you?"

A/N: Hey everyone thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's the start of a new 'episode' and I would really like your opinions on the matter if you feel so inclined. Well I'll see you later. ~ C.C.


	8. Beauty and the Banshee part 2

Chapter 8

Beauty and the Banshee

Part 2

Ira bowed. "I'm not here to cause trouble, Excess, just return to you what is yours."

The spirit raised a manicured eyebrow. "Oh? North Star, have you been foolish enough to steal from me? Bad boy."

Ira shook his head. "No, nor would I ever be foolish enough to in the future and I have a name now, apparently 'North Star' is a little too clunky for mortals and to be honest I have tiered of the label."

She tilted her head. "You? Grown tiered of something? Will wonders never cease, so what is this new name you given yourself?"

"Actually a ghost gave it to me." Ira corrected.

"Even more novel."

"It's Ira."  
"Watchful, a fitting name for you I guess." Excess leaned to one side looking board. "And what do you bring me Ira Northstar? What do you have that I should?"  
"Souls, while in the land of the living I found a Doxy desperately trying to do the job she was created for," Ira explained while Puki hid behind Ira's leg," She had some of your souls, I'm here to return them."

Excess raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? That the Doxy in question who collected my souls?"

"Yes." Ira's voice became protective. "But she is very sorry she interfered she just wanted to help them. I implore you to not start something by trying to punish her, she's quite endearing."

Excess seemed to relax. "She would have to be to win you over Ira." She took a sip from her goblet. "So without more delay, give me what I want."

"Of course."

Excess smirked. "All of what I want."

.o.

"What do you mean 'already dead'!?" Sokka looked at Yue, "There's got to be a why to save these people."

Yue cringed as the Banshee screamed again. "A banshee's cry kills all who hear it. You want to help you need to stop her screaming."

Sokka grabbed the hilt of his sword. "And I thought this was my day off." He looked over at Yue, "I'll try to take her out, try to find anyone still alive and get them out of the immediate aria!"

Yue nodded. "You don't need to tell me twice."

Sokka pulled out his sword and looked up the Banshee. "Hey! Bitch-kitten! Over here! Look at me!"

The banshee looked at him her eyes filled with rage.

Sokka flipped his face guard down. "Shut the flamio up and drop the souls sweet heart!"

She snarled and charged Sokka, she hit him square in the torso sending him flying. He landed hard against a house wall he forgot to phase through. The Banshee hovered over him laughing.

"Sure laugh, it's the only effective thing you can do." Sokka dodged the next enraged attack and gulped. "Good job Sokka you just ticked off the angry she demon, now how are you going to kill it?"

.o.

Heroto sighed as he stood in front of the Book Keeper a spirit of indeterminate age and for all of Heroto's existence the Book Keeper had been around. Like her brother Won She Tong, The book Keeper was owl like and like owl things but unlike her brother would take on a humanoid from if it would make it easier. She resided in a chaotically cramped place filled with cages that were in turn filled with spirits. It was the closest thing to a spirit jail that existed. Up in one corner Heroto spied a siren glaring at him.

The Book Keeper looked down at Heroto, "and why are you here?"  
Heroto gulped. "To pick someone up." He said in a rather small voice which frankly was unlike him.

"Who?"

"Tala."

The spirit looked down and then back up at Heroto. "You know your boss was the one that sent her here right?"

"Yes, but I like to think it was probably because of my boss's distain for her boss and not from any wrong doing on her own." He gave a nervous smile. "Can you please just let her out?"

The Book Keeper sighed and left her desk for a moment than came back with a rather wild looking woman on a leash. Heroto was handed the leash and instructed to leave the premises before taking it off. Once they were outside he freed Tala of her collar and sat back while she ranted to him on how she ended up there in the first place. She morphed from black wolf to human all through her rant.

"I was just doing my job and her comes this swordsman ghost and he sends me here!" She gritted her teeth. "Now how fair is that?"

"It's not fair at all my dear." Heroto confessed as she sat next to him. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, but on the bright side my master is making sure all the souls go to where they belong."

"Goody and I bet he's done something to the Doxy too right?"  
"Well yes, he's letting her stay at his home and help him. The little creature now named Puki has stolen my master's heart in only the way a small kitten could."

"Well I guess there is comfort in that." She kissed him. "So where is your master now? I didn't expect to be sprung so quickly."

"He's dealing with the Spirit of excess, trying to give her back the souls that belong to her."

"Ah, he's going to be there a while isn't he?" Tala smiled. "Rumor has it, Excess still holds a flame for the North Star."  
"Well she can balance it on her head if she wants to my master is nothing if not loyal to his lady."

"As mine is to his, but when has that stopped her? She may call herself excess but we all know she's gluttony with a golden coat." Tala smiled. "So with that out of the way shall we indulge in your boss's absence?"

.o.

Sokka was thrown into another building, however, this time he remembered to phase through it and land in a small bedroom. He looked around the room realizing it was a hotel room of sorts. There was a figure in the bed and at first Sokka thought it was another body but sighed in relief when the figure moved. His jaw dropped when the man rolled over exposing his face.

"Haku!" Sokka couldn't believe it! Someone from his life and they were still alive. He looked out the window at the Banshee walking down the street. Well alive for the moment. Working on a hunch, Sokka took off his helmet and put it on the sleeping Haku. "There you go buddy, let's hope this keeps you alive."

Sokka ran back through the wall and took a falling swipe at the Banshee. He stood back up and saw his sword had injured her a little. The Banshee, if possible, looked angrier than before and took a deep breath ready to scream but suddenly gasped. She looked down at the black blade impaling her. She looked up at Sokka her eyes pitiful. For a moment Sokka felt a twinge of guilt then beyond her he saw the bodies of a mother holding her young son. He looked back at the Banshee.

"Sorry, I've no pity for monsters." He wrenched the sword out of the creature and she disappeared, shattered into a thousand black pieces that vanished as soon as they hit the ground.

"You did it!" Yue yelled running down the street to him and throwing her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek. "You did it my knight."

Sokka gave her a goofy smile. "Just doing my job." He looked around "I guess we'll have to get Ira or Heroto here to gather up all the souls."

Yue nodded sadly. "Yeah, this is kind of outside both our jurisdictions."

"Sokka? Is that you?"

Sokka turned to see Haku standing in the entrance of the hotel holding his helmet. "Yeah, it's me."

"Wow! You look great!" Haku handed Sokka his helmet. "Not sure why I woke up in this but, it's really good to see you. How's everything been? How's your sister doing?"

Like an out of body experience, Sokka sawy himself smile and lie. "It's good to see you too, I'm great, Katara's fine dating Aang but I guess you already know that."

Haku nodded, "And who's this? I thought you were dating Suki, did you to break up?"  
"Yeah, she and I just didn't we're too different." _For one thing she's alive. _"This is Yue, Yue my friend Haku. We actually met him on our way to the Northern Water tribe during the war."

Yue held out her hand and Haku kissed it. "Nice to meet you Yue." He looked back at Sokka. "I'm sorry, I seem to be keeping you from your date. We'll catch up another time."

Sokka gave him a sad smiled. "Yes, another time."

.o.

"I just couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth." Sokka admitted as they walked through the Midnight woods of the spirit world. "I just couldn't." He looked at Yue. "Is that a bad thing? Am I becoming corrupted?"  
Yue shook her head. "I don't think so. You were trying to spare him pain, which is a good thing. He would have probably not taken the whole 'I'm actually dead' thing well any way."

Sokka nodded. "I guess. Um, Yue, where are we?" He looked up at a giant tree house that looked very similar to the Ice Palace of the North Pole.

"This is my home." Yue said taking his hand and leading him up the steps.

"Oh, but don't we need to tell Heroto or Ira about the Banshee victims?"  
"I'll run over quickly and tell them." Yue said unlocking the door with a wave of her hand. "I can be wherever moonlight is so I'll be much faster than you."

She led him into a grand hall before disappearing. Sokka looked around noting how similar it was to Yue's home from life, he also noted that there was a lot of pictures and sculpture of the Moon and Water spirits. Yue returned quickly and kissed him.

"Told Heroto, he looked less then please at the information but he was having drinks with some wild looking spirit woman." She grabbed his hand. "Now come with me."

Sokka tilted his head. "Yue, you ok?"

"I'm fine!" Yue turned to look at him her one eye glowing gold. "I'm perfectly fine!"  
Sokka grabbed his sword and hoping he was not wrong sliced of the hand that was dragging him. Yue screamed morphing in to a creature very similar to the Banshee he had just slain. Sokka put his sword to the imposter's throat.

"You have to the count of Fire to tell me where Yue is."

The imposter smirked. "What are you going to knight? Send me to the book keeper if I don't tell you?"  
Sokka's face darkened. "I will eventually after I cut you up peace by peace." He managed to take more of the banshee's arm off. "Now talk!"

.o.

Ira strained against the golden chains. "Let me go!"

Excess pouted. "And be deprived of your shining light? Why would I do that?"

Ira looked over at Azual and Puki both passed out on the floor. Excess fallowed his gaze. "Don't worry about them, I wont touch them as they don't belong to me."

"I don't belong to you either!" Ira snarled.

Excess rolled her eyes. "Only because you stay faithful to that dream you have." She put an arm around his shoulders. "Save yourself the heartache, ditch the hallucination and sink your teeth into something real."

A/N: Hey guys thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it (except for maybe that last part with Sokka, you can not enjoy that part) and I'll see you all later. Comment if you feel so compelled. Also, spirits and ghosts can reform so yeah, that banshee's not going to lose those appendages forever, just thought I'd let y'all know that incase you were worried about that. Thanks again for reading!~C.C.


	9. Beauty and the Banshee part 3

~Chapter 9~

~ Beauty and the Banshee~

~Part 3~

Azula came to and shook her head. She couldn't quite place when things had gone ugly talking to Spirit of Excess, but right now it sure felt like her head had gotten and excess of force given to it. She looked to her left where Puki seemed to be waking up too, her luminous white eyes blinking open. The Fire Princess looked around and tilted her head seeing Ira trapped in a golden web of chains. His shirt was torn and there was a drop of blood at the corner of his mouth. Excess her self was sitting in the web more like a spider than the stag she had imitated earlier. Excess was too interested in Ira to notice Azula as she got to her feet a blue flame in hand.

_I've lost too much to spirits already you can't take any more. _Azula took aim. _I won't let you!_

.o.

The Banshee looked up at Sokka in fear clutching the rest of her arm. "Fine! I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Just send me to the book keeper as my sister!"

"Where is she!?" Sokka's nostrils flared. "What did you do to her?!"

"Nothing, just put her to sleep with a lullaby, she'll wake up like a fair tale!" She moved a little further away. "You can find her in her tomb, moon light will reveal here! Now please let me go!"

Sokka held his sword to the banshee's throat. "Yue's body disappeared she has no tomb!"

"Than go to the place she last drew breath and that will be here tomb."

"If you are lying to me, I will find you and make you tell me the truth. Understand?"

The Banshee nodded and Sokka sent her to bookkeeper in a swam of black moths. He was quiet for a moment and looked around the grand mansion. "Now how do I get to the North Pole?"

.o.

Tala pouted looking up at Heroto. "Do you really have to go? I didn't think Banshee attacks were your jurisdiction."

Heroto kissed her shoulder buttoning his shirt. "It's a new project my master has taken on. Really the souls are no one's jurisdiction and you know some spirits see an need fill a need."

Tala sighed. "I see." Her fingers traced characters in the sheets. "Would you like some company collecting the souls? I could be helpful."

Heroto smiled and kissed her. "I would love some company."

.o.

Excess yowled and turned her eyes lived after being his with a fireball. Azula gulped and created a new one. Excess towered over her. "You dare raise your hand against me? I am a spirit! A god of your world! And you raise your hand against me?!"

Azula gulped. "I do when you attack my-" She gulped, "attack my." She wanted to say friend but the word stuck in her mouth.

Excess laughed raising her hand. "Attack your what? Your lover? Your friend? You master? What? What is Ira to you!?"

Excess slammed her hand down and chains erupted from the floor and tried to ensnare Azula but a wall of black shielded her from the attack. Azula looked in surprise at Puki who summoned something else out of blackness the broke the chains wrapped around Ira's neck. Azula made I contacted with Puki and the two nodded.

Azula sent another fireball at large spirit. "I don't know but you can't have him! He's not yours!"

.o.

The North Pole looked cold and it should have been cold but, as Sokka walked through the streets completely unseen by all, he didn't feel cold. The place was a familiar and foreign as the first time he had been there. No one saw him and so no one stopped him when he walked in to the spirit spring and sat by the pool watching the fist swim around.

He sat like a faithful soldier sitting by the edge of the pound for hours until night fell and the moonlight reflected in the pool. Sokka's jaw dropped as Yue lay in a reflection in the water. Wading out in to the water, Sokka picked Yue up through the reflection and became solid. She slept in his arms and did not wake when he shook her.

"She'll wake like a fairy tail." Sokka let the banshee's words roll around in his mind. "Like a fairy tail." Sokka sighed and leaned down. "I really hope this works." He kissed her lips and sat back. Yue's eyes fluttered open she smiled looking up at him.

.o.

Ira gasped as the chains around his neck fell away. Soon the others that had bound him fell away too. He could see Azula and Excess actually fighting but Azula wouldn't last much longer against Excess and so in one swift motion he moved across the room and blasted the spirit back. He looked at Excess lying there dazed and threw the back of souls owed to her at her feet.

"These are yours, that's all that are yours." He glared down at her. "Try another stunt like that and I'll have to show my claws." He crushed a jewel under his foot. "And you don't want that."

.o.

"I think I could sleep for weeks." Sokka was still carrying Yue as they walked back in to the North Star's manor. "Fighting banshee's take a lot out of you."

Yue smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. "You were very gallant my knight." She kissed his jaw. "I'm sorry our activity didn't quite go to plan."

Sokka sighed. "Well you can't plan for banshees showing up." He kissed her forehead. "I'm just glad you're safe and I can't lose you again."

Yue nodded. "I don't want to lose you either." She looked around, "Where are you taking me?"

Sokka smiled. "Somewhere that is free of banshees and sirens where we can do some other actives."

Yue gave him and intrigued look. "Oh? Tell me more."

.o.

Ira looked at Heroto as they walked back into the manor, the hawk spirit was scribbling at his desk furiously. "I thought you had complete all the new arrival paper work." He looked at the writing. "Are there more?"

"There was a Banshee attack at a human fair." Heroto spoke quickly. "Sokka and Yue dispatched the beasts and I retrieved the victims. I'm doing their paper work now." A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Lot of people?"

"YES!" Hetoro slammed his fist on the desk before he quickly tried to fix his disheveled brown hair. "Yes, there are and I would appreciate it if you let me get back to work."

Ira raised an amused eyebrow and started to walk out of the room herding Azula and Puki with him. He paused at the door and looked back. "You know, I have a feeling you'd get more done with Tala not under the desk. Make sure she is back in her realm when I check back in."

"And when will that be sir?"

Ira rubbed his temples. "I need to rest so you have at least twenty four hours." Ira walked from the room shaking his head.

.o.

Katara flung her arms around her old friend. "Haru! It's so good to see you again!" She smiled stepping away. "How have you been?"

Haru smiled, "I've been good, really good. Lot's of traveling. Oh! I saw your brother last week, he's really matured since the first time I met him."

Katara's face fell. "You saw my brother?"

"Yeah, last week in this small little Earth village, he was in this new Water Tribe armor." Haru tilted his head. "Katara? Katara, why are you looking at me like that?"

Katara sank down on to a near bye bench. "You couldn't have seen my brother a week ago."

Haru sat down next to her. "What do you mean 'couldn't'? I spoke to him, it was Sokka."

Katara wiped away a tear. "But it couldn't have been him. Haru Sokka died a month ago, we burring the body, he's dead."

Haru sat back. "Then I must have spoke to a ghost, because I saw to you that was Sokka, he talked about Suki and how he was with this new girl."

Katara looked at him. "New girl? What new girl? What did she look like?"

"Well she was pretty, had blue eyes and the whitest hair I've ever seen."

Katara covered her mouth for a moment. "Did you learn her name?"

He nodded. "Yes, Yue."

Katara smiled but tears streamed down her face. "They're together." She whispered. "Thank the spirits they're together."

A/N: Thanks for reading, comment if you feel so compelled and next time we meet will be a new 'episode' so until than have a great day!~ C.C.


	10. Coming Storm part 1

~Chapter 10~

~Coming Storm~

Part 1

Azula looked down at Ira sleeping, she had come in to ask a question and found the spirit fast asleep in his bed with Puki was sitting on the pillow next to his head. The chains that had bound him to the web left nasty burns around his throat and wrists along with any other flesh they touched. She looked at her bandaged arm and wondered weather he'd cover the burns up like she did with her own injuries. Tentatively she touched one of the burns, it was still hot to touch.

"They'll heal in time." Azula jumped and turned to see Nix sitting at the foot of the bed. Nix smiled. "Don't worry, my beloved's wounds will heal he just needs to rest."

"The spirit of Excess really took it out of him didn't it?" Azula frowned. "She hurt him, bad."

"Yes and no." Nix smoothed out a wrinkled in the sheets. "He's exhausted from recent events and that horned witch took advantage of his weakness." Nix made a fist of white flame before sighing and waving it away. "Not that it matters now, you all returned safe. Now, Ira in his palace, safe to recharge for the coming tribulations."

"You think something bad is about to happen?" Azula tilted her head. "Really?"  
"Yes, the sirens are proud creatures, they all are the bastard daughters or sons of the spirit of music. They have been dealt a embarrassing blow, add to that the appearance and defeat of two banshees and I cannot imagine them taking it with out trying to lash out in a big way."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense, that's what I would do." Azula crossed her arms she had really hoped Ira was awake to ask him her question.

"So, since you don't strike me as the kind of person who likes to watch people sleep," Nix looked at her kindly, "Why did you come in here?"

"I wanted to ask Ira, if I could possibly venture out in to the land of the living." Azula fiddled with her fingers nervously, which unnerved her more, she was acting like a baby asking for parent's permission to visit a friend who lived across the street. This wasn't her, this wasn't Azula, but at the same time she didn't want Ira to be mad at her or worse disappointed, and she couldn't pin point why. "I'm missing something and I really really want to find it."

Nix gave her a sympathetic look. "You can't bring things back with you, not matter their value."

"That's not fair!" Azula clenched her fists and stamped her foot. "Sokka has his sword, why can't I have one small thing!" She looked down. "One very small, very important thing."

Nix stood up and placed a hand on each shoulder. "What is it? What do you want to have so badly?"

"A ring, Ira said he'd try to find it for me but he's been so busy I don't think he's had the time to really find it." Azula looked up at Nix. "But he promised he would, so can I please have away to go to the land of the living and find it?"

Nix sighed. "Fine, but I'm not letting you go alone. I know how you treated your bother in life and I don't want you to terrorize him while you're there." She gingerly picked up Azula's bandaged arm. "It wouldn't help this any at all."

"I'm not going to let Sokka chaperon me around my own home land." Azula crossed her arms. "Besides he and the moon haven't left his room for three days, I don't think I'll ever see him again…. Not a bad turn of events, considering."

Nix smirked. "I wouldn't do that to you, but I need someone I can trust to keep you safe. Can't have you getting corrupted."

Azula sighed. "Fine, who did you have in mind?"

.o.

"It's been so long since I've been in the city." Luten put his hands on his hips and took a deep, rather ghostly, breath. "So good to be back."

Azula growled as a person walked through her. "Yeah, we're not really back the people can't see, hear, or feel us."

Luten shrugged. "Well, yes until night when we're a little bit more visible, but hopefully we'll be done by then."

Azula nodded spotting some Kiyoshi warrior girls walking down the street laughing. "Yeah, let's hope."

"So where do we start? My Lady said you were looking for a ring, would it be in a jewelry box some where?"

"My Lady? That what you call Nix?" Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Well yes, as a sign of respect. She might be a construct of imagination but she is the queen of our realm."

"And you were a prince."

"'Were' being the operative word, that ended when I deid." Luten sighed. "Now about that ring, where do we start?"

Azula sighed. "I don't know. My memories, they're all jumbled; with images I don't know whether or not they're real. Voices with no owners, and memories of my mother in places that she shouldn't be." Azula shook her head. "I think I was wearing it when I died though."

"So first course of action, find your grave and see if you were buried with it. Got it." He gave her a worried look. "Look, you were just a child the last time I saw you, what happened to you?"

"I died that's what happened." Azula looked around. "The Royal graves are kept on the east side of the mountain. Let's go." Azula stared walking and Luten fallowed.

"Not asking how you died, between that and when I did. My memories aren't jumbled. They're all clear as day. Why aren't yours?"  
"I don't know. I'll ask Ira when we get back."

"Fine." Luten put his hands in his pockets, "So, it's not any of my business but what's so important about this ring you're looking for? When I don't remember wanting anything from the physical world. Well there was one thing but I wasn't as obsessed as you are."

Azual gave him a dirty look but kept walking. "What did you want?" She asked a few minutes later.

"Excuse me?"  
"What did you want for the physical world?" Azula stopped and looked back. "What was it?"

Letun sighed walking past her. "A blanket."

"A special blanket?" Azula looked intrigued. "One that was special to you as a child? One that your mother had made for you? That kind of blanket?"

"No, just a simple one from the homeland."

"That's it?"

"Yes."  
"No more? Nothing else? Not even why you wanted it?"

"Yup"

"Really?! That's it?" Azula felt incredibly frustrated.

"Yeah, that's it." He looked to his left. "That's the door to the tomb there, right?"

Azula looked at the ancient door. "So it is. I guess the reason behind your secret blanket fetish later."

.o.

Zuko looked at the silver ring in his fingers. Mia sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.

"You keep looking at that thing, why?" She looked up at him. "What makes it so important you couldn't burry Asula with it?"

Zuko took a deep breath. "I wish I knew where she got it. It's made of fine platinum not a cheep metal. Azula's not the type to steal something like this, it would be given to her. There's someone out there who gave this to her, who cared about her, maybe even loved her. I need to know who that is."

Mai wrapped an arm around his torso. "Why?"

"Because, so few people came to her funeral, I want to give them the chance to say goodbye." He gulped. "I think Azula would like that."

"I think, you think, your version of Azula would like that."

"And you don't think the real Azula would?"

"I don't know, maybe but I think this is more about you and not her." She took the ring and set it on the bedside table. "You're trying to make up for past sins but even when you do that, it's not going to help." She looked up at him, her eyes filled with pity and worry.

"But I have to try Mai, I have to try to make it a little bit better."

"You can't fix everything Zuko."

"I know but I have to try."

"Is there anything else bothering you? You haven't been sleeping well at all these past nights."

"I've tried to contact my father, see how he's doing but I can't get a message back. I've sent people, hawks, and nothing. I worried something's going on over there and I don't know what to do next."

.o.

Ira opened his eyes and just for a fleeting moment he saw her leaning over him smiling and then she was gone. Ira sat up and hung his head. Puki lightly tapped him on the arm and held up a glass of water.

"Thank you, little one." He took a sip. "Tell me, was she really here? Watching over me?"

Puki nodded handing him a roll of gauze. Ira smiled taking it.

"Again thank you little one." He started to wrap the healing burns. "Now can you tell me what's been going on while I slept?"

Puki gave an exaggerated sigh.

"That bad, huh?" Ira groaned. "This is why I can't get a good decades sleep around here."

.o.

Azula screamed in frustration. "It's not here! My ring is not here!" She was breathing fire. "Where is it?" She grabbed Luten's collar. "What happened to my ring?"

Luten stepped back. "I don't know, but if you keep this up I'll have to drag you back if you don't calm down."

"Why?" Azula spat. "What happens if I don't calm down?!"

"You run the very great risk of being suck here as a poltergeist. Is that what want? To be in this grimy, spider infested tomb, forever."

Azula crossed her arms. "Ira would come and get me. He'd bring me back, right?"

"He'd try but there are things even Ira can't do." Luten put a hand on her shoulder. "He can't bring you back from something like that."

Azula sank down to ground. "You're wrong. but," She looked around the dark cave, and felt the cold marble of her own resting place, "I don't want to be here any longer any longer." She stood up.

"Ok, so where do we go from here?"

"To the place I died, maybe it's still in that fountain and if that's not were it is, we go to the person who gave me the ring in the first place."

Luten nodded. "Then let's go."

A/N: Thanks for reading, comment if you feel so compelled, I'll see you later! :) ~ C.C.


	11. Coming Storm part 2

Chapter 11

~Coming Storm Part 2~

Ghosts, being largely made of uncontained energy and emotion, rarely affected physical things, since they were made of matter. So when Azula jumped into the fountain behind the crumbling Siren manor she was surprised she made a splash and actually felt wet. As she sank lower into the murky water she had the compulsion to hold her breath, which she did. The fountain was deeper than Azula excepted. She sank down what felt like stories passed the bodies of the sirens' other victims to lean in a small cloud of gross at the slimy bottom. Azula felt watched as she looked for her ring around the pound scum and chains.

She wiped away some of the grime and paused finding claw marks deep into the tile. Realizing that this might not have been her best move Azula slowly turned to see a large break in the wall and looming with in the shadows were great big glowing eyes.

.o.

"Heroto!" Ira bellowed walking down the hall. "Heroto! I need to talk to you!"

A white hawk landed on the shoulder not occupied Puki. "You bellowed sir?"

"Yes, why are you a hawk?" Ira shook his head. "Never mind I don't want to know. You still smell like that wolf. Heroto, as much as this is going to pain me to ask do you know what has been going on while I rested? And I'm talking specifically about the two children living here."

"Well, I think it will be easy to find Sokka. He hasn't left his room, nor has the moon. Azula on the other hand had left the manor and I have little idea where she went. She spoke to Nix before she left and I think is saw her with a fire nation man."

Ira frowned, "That's not reassuring at all. Heroto go take a shower and join me in the library. Also wake the dead and drag Sokka down with you!" Ira watched the hawk fly off and patted Puki on the head. "You won't run off and get in trouble on me will you?"

The little spirit shook her head and patted Ira's face sympathetically.

"Thanks Pook."

Ira walked in to the library where among other things was a small soul orb floating in spirit water. He looked up at the large map of the world showing off not only the four nations ravaged by war and another set of four countries shown west of the Fire nation. He sighed.

"Azula, Azula, where did you run off to my little Azula? And who did you go with?"

"Maybe she went to find her ring?" Sokka offered walking in. He pulled a shirt over his head and his feet were still bare. "I mean she's always going on about it."

"Yes." Ira looked back at the map. "That would be in her nature though I wish she would have just waited for me to find it."

"That's not Azula's way." Sokka leaned against the desk his hand dangerously close to the water goblet. "Don't you have a way to find her? I mean you are a Lantern bearer."

Ira nodded. "Yes I do have a way and it's very technical too."

He grabbed a dart off his desk and threw it at the picture of the map. Sokka watched as the dart moved through the air like it had a mind of its own. The small metal javelin swerved through the air and then landed somewhere in the fire nation.

"Oh Fuck!"

Sokka jumped at Ira's sudden out burst of profanity knocking over the glass with the orb. Sokka cursed under his breath as he desperately tried to nonchalantly scoop the soul up with the goblet. "What's wrong Ira?" He asked trying to sound calm.

"Azula, she's at the Siren's Manor. This is bad, this is really bad." Ira turned at looked at Sokka trying to scoop the soul back up. "And that's bad too."

Puki jumped off Ira's shoulder and picked up the soul examining it for any damage. Satisfied that no damage had been done she showed the orb to Ira. Ira smiled. "Well I guess this person's all healed up and ready to wake up. Huh, it looks like they know you Sokka good. You deal with that I've got to go retrieve Azula before something bad happens." He picked up the orb and blew on it sending it into a dust that formed into a person like shape. "Cover the basics first Sokka!" Ira yelled before running out of the room with Puki hot on his heals.

.o.

Azula broke the water's surface and quickly moved to the edge of the pool where Lu Ten helped her out. She was shivering clutching at the remains of her injured arm. Lu Ten looked shocked.

"What happened to your arm?! Are you ok?"

"No! I'm not ok! My arm's been shattered by whatever is living at the bottom of that cursed fountain!" She tried to stand up. "We have to get out of here. It's coming up here to get us both."

Lu Ten pun an arm around her waist and helped pull her away from the edge as a monstrous arm rose out of the water. Azula screamed trying to get away pulling Lu Ten with her. Suddenly a black fire enveloped the limb and wheat ever was lurking in the depth of the fountain retreated. Lu Ten looked in shock trying to find the source of the black flame. His eye caught a white flame dancing closer.

"North Star? Is that you?"

Azula looked in the same direction. "Ira?"

"Not quiet children." A man looking about the same age Ira did walked out of the shadows a lantern flame burning from the top of a scythe. "Not quiet."

Lu Ten stepped back. "W-Who are you?"

The man took off his hat reviling blond hair tied back in a braid and an eye patch covering his left eye. "I am Anubis Lafeatte."

Azula still holding her stub of an arm. "Who?"

"Pardon, I am the Lantern Bearer for those who die of old age, which you two did not." His black eyes focused on Azula. "But you seem to be in need of my assistance anyway."

Lu Ten stepped between the two. "You're the spirit of shadows, the north star's brother. Why would you help us?"

"Ah, you belong to him, huh? Well no matter, this poor soul is in quite the predicament, please let me help."

Still frowning Lu Ten stepped away and let Anubis examine Azula's arm. Azula looked dubious but let him look at it. It was like looking at china dolls are that had been smashed to pieces, both very painful and some how artificial too. Anubis frowned.

"I'm guessing the pieces are in there." He looked at the fountain and Azula nodded. "Well, not even I want to take on a pissed off leviathan so let's add new instead of healing old."

He summoned a shadow and as if he was working with clay sculpted a new arm with delicate fingers and a strong yet refined wrist. He waved his hand over the new limb after it attaching it to Azula. Designs like constellations lit up on her new arm.

"There now try to move it. Make a fist"

Azula looked at the arm and concentrated on Anubis's request. The fingers moved gracefully to her delight. Her new hand, and for that matter whole arm, felt strong and unbreakable. She tried to someone fire and jumped back as her whole arm became a black flame. It reset almost as soon as she jumped.

Anubis chuckled. "Your new arm is made out of shadows dear, you can't fire bend with it you shadow bend or don't bend at all seeing as unless you two are planning on haunting this place."

Lu Ten forced a smile and put his arms on Azula's shoulders. "No sir we are not. Now if you excuse us we should be going."

Anubis nodded and glanced to the side. "As should I."

"You're not going anywhere Anubis." Ira said sternly looking angrier than ever. "Not until you explain what you did to one of my children."

.o.

Sokka sighed watching Jet pace back and forth mumbling under his breath only to suddenly scream out at random.

"Jet?….Jet! Could you please stop pacing it won't let you accept death any faster."

The other boy grabbed Sokka's collar. "I'm not dead! And you're not dead! This is a Fire Nation trick! They're trying to trick us into thinking we're dead so they can kill us!"

Sokka removed Jet's hands and looked at the other queerly. "Do you even hear yourself? Like really? They're going to convince us we're dead so that they can kill us?"

"Yes! And then they're going to take over our tea shops and dump us for pretty Earth Nation girls!"

"Ira please get back soon!" Sokka groaned. "I'm not qualified to deal with this!"

"Is Ira that one eyed Fire Nation guy?"

Sokka scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess but he's not really Fire Nation, I think he's more nu-"

"He's the overlord trying to brain wash us into thinking there's no war in Ba Sing Say! He's going to drag us under a lake!"

Sokka rubbed his temples. "Oh, boy. Starting to think I took dying way too well. I'm owed a wolf-bat shit crazy freak out." He crossed his arms. "I feel a little bit cheated." He uncrossed his arms. "But I do have Yue so that balances things out."

"Who's Yue? Is she a spy? Yue sounds like a spy name. She's definitely a spy. Don't trust her Sokka! She's a spy who's going to betray you and heat up her tea with fire bending and then attack you with swords."

Sokka just slowly blinked. "She's the moon and my girlfriend."

Jet suddenly seemed to calm down. "And you look at me like I'm nuts."

A/N Thanks for reading guys comment if you feel so compelled! I'll see you all later hope you enjoyed. Also if you want to see more or less of Jet in the future let me know. Thanks bye!


	12. The Coming Storm part 3

~Chapter 12~

~The Coming Strom part 3~

Heroto walked in to the library and handed Sokka a cup of tea, which he took gratefully. Sokka was currently sitting on top of a bookshelf while Jet rambled below. Heroto turned in to a hawk and sat on Sokka's shoulder. "How long has he been at this?"

Sokka took a sip of tea. "He's been ranting for about an hour. He keeps coming back to some Lee dude and ranting about him."

"Oh? Gather anything of interest?"

"Well apparently Lee was a firebender in Ba Sing Sa, who ran a tea shop, had swords, and, I could be wrong about this last part, dumped him for a girl in the city." Sokka took another sip. "This is really good. Jasmine?"  
"Yes, It's master Ira's favorite."

"It's the favorite of a friend of mine too. I see why he likes it, very relaxing." Sokka looked down at Jet. "Hey Jet! Would you like some tea?"

Jet narrowed his eyes. "No! I don't want you stupid tea! I want to warn everyone that Lee is a fire…bender." He suddenly looked like he had run out of steam. "Oh what does it matter? I'm dead! The whole worlds gone to hell and I'm dead." He fell face first into the carpet and stayed there. "Everybody's dead."

Sokka got off the bookcase and patted Jet's back. "Everyone's not dead, just a few people are and the world hasn't gone to hell, at least not yet."

"If it hasn't, it will soon. The Fire Nation is going to take over everything! All is lost"

"Actually the war is over and the Fire Nation didn't win. The Fire Lord was defeated and his son, a good friend of mine, has the thrown. The world is putting its self back together." He sighed and smiled. "It turned out ok in the end. Hey! I have an idea!"

Jet looked up. "What is this idea?"

"What are the name's of your parents?"

"I don't see how that matters." Jet looked confused.

"Just tell me!  
"Uh Feytem and Seto."

Sokka nodded and stood up. "Heroto! I need you."

The hawk flew down to the back of a chair. "How can I be of assistance."

"I need your help, I need to find two people Feytem and Seto they were killed in a Fire Nation raid. Do you have any idea where they are?"

The hawk was quite for a moment then nodded. "Yes, I believe I know where to find them. Fallow me!" The hawk took flight and headed out of the room.

.o.

Yue work up and stretched. She looked around the empty room and pouted. Getting up she grabbed her dressed and headed down stairs just as Sokka was walking back in the door.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

"Ira left me a job, I had to escort someone back to their family."

"Who?"

"Jet, I took him back to his mother and father and the rest of his village. I think that's the first time I've seen a genuine smile on his face." Sokka kissed her cheek. "Good morning, Yue. Sleep well?"

She smiled. "I dreamed better than I have in years."

.o.

Azula looked from Anubis to Ira unsure exactly what was going to happen. Ira looked so angry she almost felt scared. "What did you do to her Anubis?!"

"I was just helping." Anubis replied casually. "No need to get your heckles up. That poor little soul over there lost her arm to a leviathan I was replacing it."

Ira narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I've heard rumors that things on this side of the map have gotten quite messy between spirits and humans. I guess they were true. I've never seen this place so abandoned. What happened?"

"They were killing people Anubis, I had to do something."

"So you're to blame for the manor to be in such an empty state." Anubis tapped his chin. "Can't say I blame you for that, they are quite annoying." Anubis suddenly spied Puki sitting on Ira's shoulder. "So that's where that one got to. I'll take her back home now."

Puki shrunk back and held on to Ira. "Sorry, no. Puki stays with me."

Anubis looked surprised. "You've named her? How modern, next you'll tell me you've actually taken a name for yourself."

"Actually I have, though I'm not about to tell you what it is."

"Always the tease big brother, always the tease." He smirked and pointed to Puki. "I'll let you keep her, as a gesture of good will."

"I didn't know you were capable of such a concept Anubis." Ira moved so he was between Anubis and the two ghosts. "Still don't. Why fake such generosity?"

Anubis sighed and his up beat nature faded into a gloom. "Maybe you're mixing up generosity and remorse. I'm sorry brother, for what happened. I truly am."

"Shut up! Shut up! No you're not! You can't possibly be! You don't have the capacity to feel remorse!" Ira spat out the words.

Anubis stepped forward. "Brother I'm sorry. Please I'm asking for your forgiveness."

"You took her away from me! You took my eye! And now you beg for forgiveness?! Well you cant' have it! You will never have it from me!"

Anubis frowned and stepped back. "I'm sorry you feel that way brother, I really do. I thought perhaps you had changed because of."

"Because of what?" Ira was seething.

"Nothing important." Anubis shook his head. "Nothing you should concern yourself with. I'm sorry about what happened to Phoenix, I wish that hadn't happed." He started to walk away. "You're taking on the sirens, yes? Well I've been told by Tala that there's one hanging around a prison in the south east of this nation. I don't know what she wants but she hasn't killed anyone yet." Anubis glanced over at Azula. "Take care of that arm. If you ever want lessons on how to use it, well, ask Heroto to guild you. He'll help no questions asked."

Then suddenly he was gone. Azula looked at Ira ready to be yelled at, lectured at for disobeying, feel the wrath that hadn't been spent on Anubis turned on to her and Luten but it didn't come. Ira looked over at her all rage gone in his eyes.

"You went looking for your ring didn't you?"

Azula nodded. "I didn't find it. I lost my arm but I wasn't able to find it." She wiped her face. "I wanted to find it so much."

"Why?"

"Because maybe if I find it my memories will go in to place." She looked at her feet. "I just want to remember."

Ira sighed. "I know you're not one to let others do things for you or trusting people but you're going to have to trust me. Your soul can't take this kind of abuse. You're too fragile right now."

Azula frowned. "I don't like being fragile, I don't like trusting."

Ira nodded and looked over at Luten. "Go home Luten, go back to those you love. I'll take care of Azula."

Luten frowned but nodded disappearing in the night.

"He's not going to get in trouble is he?" Azula looked up genuinely worried. "He only came to keep me in check."

"I know and he's not." Ira offered his arm. "Walk with me?"

Azula took it and suddenly they were on an island by a fountain with glowing flowers floating in it. Azula looked at them curiously. "What are those?"

"Phoenix flowers, created them myself for Nix." He gestured to the ruins of a manor. "Made this whole place for her."

Azula nodded. "What happened to it?"

"Time mostly, but there was also a battle here a long time ago."

"The fight you had with Anubis?"

"Yes, I lost my left eye in that battle, but I took his right so I guess in retrospect we're even on that front."

"An eye for an eye eventually makes everyone blind." Azula cringed, she hated whenever she quoted her uncle.

"I guess it does and eventually that will catch up to me."

"So why did you bring me here? To illustrate why you hate your brother? Trust me you don't have to justify that to me. Not at all."

"No, more to show the destruction that one can cause in pursuit of a loved one."

"You want to know who gave me the ring? That's why you brought me here."

"Maybe, or maybe I wanted to give you something but I remembered it's here and not in the manor."

"Giving me presents?" Azula looked around the broken hall and spotted a painting of Nix on the wall. "Won't Nix become jealous? I like her, don't want to step on her toes."

Ira chuckled. "Don't take this as offence but I view you more as a daughter. Nix will always own my heart and your heart will always belong to another."

Azula sneered at the statement. "That's assuming I have a heart, which most believe I don't."

"I believe you do, you have a soul after all. How's your book by the way?"

Azula shrugged. "It's ok, I guess for a tragic love story. She let's her lover live and be happy in the end. Kind of disappointing if you ask me."

"I hear he wrote a squeal. Maybe that has the ending you want." Ira pulled something made of yellow and red silk.

"And if it doesn't? If that ending is disappointing too, what then?"

Ira handed her the silk thing, which turned out to be a dress, a kimono type of thing with a red sash and a decoration at the bottom. "Then you make a new ending you're happy with."

"What is this?"

"It's your amore. It will keep your soul safe for corruption as you move through this physical world." Ira took a deep breath. "If what Anubis said was right then the prison your father is at has a siren in it. If you want to take it out you're going to need that."

Azula looked at the dress. "Aren't you going to go find Sokka and drag him in too?"

"We'll pick him up on the way. We'll need Yue and Heroto too."

"So what you just want me to join your little team and fight monsters?" Azula raised an eyebrow. "I might have a head full of scrambled memories but I was the bad guy in life do you think I'm going to suddenly be the good guy in death?"

"Did you like your ending?"

Azula looked down. "No, I didn't."

"Do you want another?"

Azula looked down at the dress. "If I take this dress join this little group will I like the ending I get?"

"No idea but this is death Azula, there are infinite chances to get it right."

Azula smirked. "Well, let's go kick some Siren ass than and see what happens."

Ira smiled. "That's my girl."

.o.

Mai walked into Zuko's room. "Why is Aang here?"

Zuko looked up from his bag. "Because something's gone wrong at the prison. I need to check it out. Aang and the rest are going with me."

"Why?"

"Because Aang's got this feeling, the same feeling he got when we found Sokka and Azula. I'm trusting his gut and they're coming along."

"Let me come to."

Zuko pressed his forehead against hers. "You can't if this goes wrong I can't loose you too. Please stay here, stay safe."

"Fine but if you die, your ghost better show up and beg for forgiveness."

Zuko kissed her. "Deal."

A/N: Thanks for reading! And thus ends another 'episode' of this story. Please comment if you feel so compelled! See you later! ~ C. C.


	13. The Siren's keep part 1

~Chapter 13~

~The Siren's Keep~

~Part One~

When they grabbed Sokka from the manor he didn't ask any questions, not even why Azula was there. He only needed to hear that a Siren was threatening people's lives and he was in. Azula pulled on the red and yellow Kimono and for a few short moments marveled at her reflection before grabbing her theater mask. She wanted to save her father but she didn't want him, or anyone, to know it was her. She wrapped her now shadow arm in bandages unwilling to let anyone see and set out with Ira and Sokka. It was daytime now and Yue could not be where the moon wasn't.

Azula looked at one of the sleeves. "Ira…why was this made?"

"I made it for my daughter, back when I believed I would have one."

"Never came to be?" She looked at the fine needlework of garment. "Too bad she would have been felt like a princess in this."

Ira nodded. "I would have spoiled her with all the things I could create."

"So why give it to me?"

"You need it, my golden girl will never exist or need it, but you do I hope it severs you well."

Sokka looked over at the two. "You know I like finely made clothes as the next guy but WE'VE GOT A SIREN TO CATCH!"

.o.

The prison was bathed with daylight. Sokka frowned and kept to the shadows of one of the prison buildings. He looked at Ira. "Can those guards see me?" He asked as two passed by.

"They can see your armor but they can't see you or hear you." Ira informed. "They can't see me at all."

"What about me?" Azula asked.

"They see your clothes and mask but nothing else."

"I wonder who I could scare then." Azula mused for a moment before shaking her head. "So what's the plan?"

Sokka pulled out his sword. "Simple plan. We find the Siren and we send her to the Book Keeper."

"Hold on there." Ira placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "We should wait for night and try to make sure there's only one. I've never heard of a Siren acting like this and taking over a prison before."

"Why? They practically ran one!" Sokka retorted.

"True but look around you young warrior, everyone here is alive. There have been no mysterious deaths and no one acting possessed. This place it looks normal."

Azula leaned against a wall then suddenly seemed interested in a far off object. "If everything is normal why does it look like my brother and the avatar are flying here on his bison?"

Ira frowned. "That is odd."

"We should search this place." Sokka crossed his arms. "Try to find anything amiss."

Ira sighed. "Very well but remain unseen and avoid the avatar. I don't know if this one can distinguish the dead from the malevolent spirits."

Azula turned her head. "Are they similar?"

"Yes." Ira nodded. "I'd explain more, having to do with the nature of ghosts but let's just say being a ghost in the physical world is not the most ideal thing of a soul to be doing in the after life. Just trust me on this."

.o.

Aang looked down from Appa. "I don't know Sifu Hotman, it looks pretty normal from up here."

Zuko sighed. "Yeah, but like I said in my letters, things aren't right I haven't established any communication with the guards here for a while and I'm worried."

"Don't worry sparky." Toph said leaning back. "We'll make sure no one's starting any 'New Ozai' societies in your prison."

Both Suki and Tylee nodded in agreement. "We'll sort this out." Suki said confidently.

They landed and Aang immediately Aang went to talk to the solider at the gate. The man on duty smiled. "Hello!"

Aang smiled back. "Hello. Um I'm Avatar Aang and I'm here with Fire Lord Zuko and-"

"That's nice…. we're closed now. No visitors come back later."

Aang's eye twitched. "You're a prison you're never open. Look we just need to get inside. There's something wrong with your communication system."

The man's smile grew wider reminding Aang of Ju-dee from Ba Sing Sa. "We're closed, come back later."

"Ok, then we'll just come back later." Aang backed away before turning around. Aang walked back rubbing the back of his head. "Well that was weird. He didn't even act like he knew who I was…. or that this was a prison."

Toph nodded. "Yeah, something doesn't seem right…guys I don't want to spook you all out but I just sensed a bunch of people walking around without heart beats….and a hallow suit of armor walking around too."

Zuko looked over at Aang. "Well glad I brought you along. This seems more spiritual in nature."

Aang gulped. "Yeah…. lucky me."

Toph landed on to the ground. "Welp, time to break into a prison! Let's go you sissies!"

.o.

Azula walked into her father's cell and stopped. There her father sat like a king talking to a woman with Azula's face and one glowing gold eye. She clenched her fists. How dare that…that…creature take her face?! The siren glanced over at Azula and smirked before turning back to Ozai.

"Tell me again father, how much better I am then the rest of the world."

Ozai chuckled. "You, my dear daughter are the greatest fire bender in the world, you are the greatest daughter in the world, you are my princess Azula."

"And as your daughter, I would be a failure if I died the victim of anything?"

Ozai nodded. "You're too good to be bested by anything on this earth."

"Spiritual or flesh?"

"All of the above."

"And if I were…. just by chance slaughtered like a lamb by sirens begging for my life, what would you say to me? Would I still be your daughter then?"

Ozia took a sip of tea. "If that were to happen you would no longer be my daughter…you'd be such a disappointment everything Zuko ever did would pale in comparison."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

The siren gave a melodious laugh. "Well then Father I'll make a note to not die that way." She turned to look right at Azula. "I would hate to be a disappointment to you."

Azula backed out of the room and through the wall. At first her only thoughts on what her father had said. Every word he said felt like a dagger in her heart. She was her father's favorite. He loved her. If he knew what happened, if he knew she was dead, he would weep for her. He'd cry out her name in misery, as his one true child was gone. Wouldn't he?

Azula felt herself sink to the ground and into a rose bush. She bit her lip. "I need to find Ira…. tell him where the siren is." She whispered but stopped as two Kyoshi warriors walked by.

"I-I probably shouldn't have come." Tylee confessed to Suki. "I don't know if I'm up to it. I mean it hasn't been that long since-since." She suppressed a sob.

Suki nodded. "Yeah, probably shouldn't have either…. I just needed to get out clear my head…try to think of what to do next."

Tylee nodded. "Yes, oh yes! Sorry, I forgot you lost Sokka too. I'm sorry I've been so caught up in missing…well you know who that I forget you're hurting too."

"It's ok." Suki sighed. "We're all allowed to morn, I just feel a little lost."

Tylee looked at Suki with concern. "Don't feel lost! You're strong you'll make it out of this."

"I know I will but…can you keep a secret?"

Azula leaned forward. A secret? Little miss captain of the guard never kept secrets from what she knew. The poltergeist princess frowned as Suki oh so quietly whispered in to Tylee's ear. The other girl covered her mouth her eyes wide in surprise. "Did Sokka know about this?" She asked.

Suki shook her head and then gave a sob. "Nope, I never got the chance to tell him and now-now I never will!" Suki broke down uncharacteristically in to tears.'

Tylee patted her back. "There, there. Let me get you some tea. That should help!"

.o.

Aang couldn't hear anything as he walked the armory but there was sound he imagined creepy music playing. This place was unlike any other place he had been before in all his travels. It was prison outfitted for a war. As he exited one room for another he noticed a suit of armor that wasn't quite like the others. Curious Aang walked up to the suit made for a water tribesman and not a Fire Nation guard. He gulped, was there someone lurking just behind the facemask?

Carefully he took the helmet off and gave a sigh of relief finding nothing there. Aang laughed. "Ha! You're just an empty suit!" He stuck his hand were the wearer's head would be. "Just an empty suit. Nothing strange here."

Suddenly the suit moved grabbed the helmet back and slapped Aang. The armor put the helmet back on and placing its hands on its hips tapped its foot. The air bender stepped back holding in a silent scream. Unable to think of a better option he ran searching for Zuko, Katara, or really anyone.

.o.

Katara had never seen Aang look so scared when he ran into the room and pulled her out in the open. "Katara! The armory… It's haunted! A helmetless suit of armor slapped me!"

"Sweaty, are you ok?"

"No! A helmetless suit of armor slapped me!"

Katara shook her head. "Sweaty why don't you sit out here for a little bit? Clear your head." She kissed him on the cheek. "I'll go find Zuko see if he's found anything."

Aang took a deep breath. "But it did! My cheek still stings a little!"

Katara gave a small nod and walked away looking for the others.

.o.

Ira watched them all from his perch atop a watchtower. He wall looking for a clue to where this supposed siren was. He frowned wondering if his brother had lied to him. It wouldn't be the first time. Ira saw Azula walk through the walls of a second story window and float down into a bush just before two women walked past and started to talk. As soon as they left Azula stood up and moved around like she was looking for something. Ira sighed and left his post to stand by Azula.

"Did you find something?" Ira asked calmly making the young ghost jump.

"Ah! Ira! Don't give me a heart attack!" Azula clutched her sides. "Yeah, I found her. She's in the cell with my father…. Ira she's stolen my face! Ira my father…. he thinks she's me!"

"That's not good."

"You know what else isn't good?" Sokka asked walking up to them before pointing at the sky. "That!"

Azula frowned. "The sun is setting? How is that possible we just got here, it was morning!"

Sokka shrugged. "I don't know but this happened to me in the Siren's house too. Time moved faster there."

Ira's eyes widened. "We need to get the living out of here, Siren's gain more power at night."

"So?" Azula crossed her arms. "You're the North Star, don't you gain power too?"

Ira nodded but pointed to a now paling Katara. "But she does not…not to the extent she'll need to survive. Scaring them off is really the best option. Sokka Azula you take care to scare everyone out of this area, I'll try to take care of the siren on my own."

Azula cracked her knuckles. "Well looks like I have some terrorizing to do."

Sokka drew his sword. "Yeah…try not to scare them too bad."

"Spoil sport."

.o.

Zuko walked into his father's cell room after finding no one guarding him. The smell of vanilla was so overwhelming he almost sneezed. Ozai smiled at Zuko with such vacancy Zuko's blood started to run cold.

"I see my son has finally descended from on high to see me. How nice."

Zuko clenched his fists. "What's going on here Father? This prison, it's completely cut off all communication. What are you planning?"

Ozai looked surprised. "Planning? Planning what? I've been here dear boy wasting away while you try your best to keep this country afloat."

Zuko's nostrils flared. Of course his father was in the dark he was still locked away. Zuko clutched the ring under his shirt wondering whether or not to ask him about it. Figuring it was his only chance, Zuko pulled out the ring.

"Fine, you aren't responsible for that, but what do you know about this?"

Ozai gave the ring an uninterested glance. "Nothing, I've never seen it before."

"Never? Look again. It was Azula's."

Suddenly his father jumped to his feet. "Azula's?! Why did you take it from her? Give it back!" He even made a swipe at it through the bars.

Zuko pulled back. "I found it on her body…I wanted to find out who gave it to her… to tell them she's dead. You know since her death was kept so quiet."

Ozai seemed to calm down. "She's not dead Zuko."

"Yes, she is father! Please if you know who gave this ring to her tell me!" Ozai sat back on his bed. "I don't know who gave it too her. I do know Azula's not dead."

A woman with Azula's face and one glowing gold eye walked through the wall and put her arms around Ozia's shoulders. "I'm right here Zuzu."

A/N: So this is going to be just a two-part story not three because at the moment I don't think the story of this 'episode' stretches to three parts and I don't want to add filler just for the heck of it. Please comment if you feel so compelled and if there's any monsters from mythology you really want to see show up in this series let me know I'm already planning for an encounter with gorgons and one with Zombies where we meet the King of the grave yard too. Also if you want check out my deviant art page, there's a link from my profile and there you'll find a recent sketch of ghost Azula and ghost Sokka getting ready for this years Halloween and looking very cute if I might add. Also along those same lines if you want to see concept art for the other characters in the story just let me know and I'll post some of the stuff I've made for each of the character and probably draw more. Ok so that was a rather long Author Note so I'll just leave you know and I hope you're all well and enjoyed this installment in Tales of a Dead Man or TOAD as I like to call it. See yah! ~C.C.


	14. The Siren's keep part 2

~Chapter 14~

~Siren's Keep part 2~

Zuko looked at the woman his face paling. "You-you can't be Azula! Who-who are you?!"

The woman smiled her gold eye glowing bright. "Why Zu-zu don't you know your own sister?" She pouted. "I'm hurt."

Zuko looked at his father who seemed to be in a complete trance. "What have you done to my father? What the hell are you?"

The woman let go of Ozai and calmly walked over to the bars. "Why, I'm your sister silly."

Zuko snorted fire. "No, you're not! I buried my sister! I held her cold body in my arms!" Tears started to run down his cheeks. "My sister is dead!"

The woman chuckled biting her lip. "She is isn't she?" The woman stretched out an arm towards Zuko. "Do you want to join her? I can tell you miss her dearly. You know she died crying….so alone if I could cry I might have."

Zuko made fire with his hands. "YOU! YOU'RE THE REASON MY SISTER IS DEAD? WHAT ARE YOU?"

The woman's eyes suddenly grew big and she shrunk back a little. Zuko narrowed his eyes trying to figure out what the woman was going to do next until he jump at an almost familiar voice spoke behind him.

"She's a siren my good Fire Lord." The voice was soft but it had an edge that frightened Zuko to his core. The Fire Lord wracked his brain trying to place where he had heard the man's voice before. "And most likely she is responsible for not only your sister's death but also your friend Sokka's too."

"How do you." Zuko tried to look at the person behind him but was stopped.

"Don't turn around Fire Lord, don't take your eyes off the Siren. Do that and you're a dead man. Keep your eyes on her and you might live to see old age."

Zuko keep his eyes locked on the Siren. "Who are you?"

"He is death!" The siren hissed. "He murdered my sisters!"

"I sent them too the Book Keeper, just where I'm going to send you!" The man's voice was stern. "Or if you come quietly and don't harm the man your coiled around I can escort you to the spirit world. It's your choice my dear."

"But North Star I want to stay here." The siren pouted. "Have you no kindness for your own kind?"

"No, I saw the memories of your victims the way you toyed with them." Ira practically spit out those words. "So are you coming easy or not?"

The siren put a hand around Ozai's neck. "New deal, you fight me if I win I get to be free, you win I'll go to the Book Keeper without a fuss and all those who've I'm entrance go free. Can you accept?"

Zuko's heart jumped in the cruel realization that he was nothing more than a pawn in this discussion. He wanted to look back at the man who knew so much so he could read his face but Zuko kept his eyes on the siren and her glowing gold eye. The silence in the room as man was considering the offer was enough drive Zuko crazy.

"Deal, siren. Now let's go somewhere away from these humans."

"And have your lackies free my treasures while I'm away? I think not. Let's fight right HERE!" The woman lunged at the figure behind Zuko her nails just catching the tip of Zuko's right ear as he dove to the floor.

"Get your father and run!" The man yelled wrestling with the siren. "Get everyone you can out of here!" The man threw the siren into another room and with a wave of his hand made the cell bars turn to rust and blow away. "Go!"

Zuko nodded and grabbed his father leading him out of the room and into new chaos.

.o.

Katara had seen the two people talking to seemingly nothing. She recognized the armor as something that Aang had mentioned and then she spotted the sword of black steel. She became pale. Was that the person responsible for her brother's death? Was he here to kill more of the people she held dear? Her fear turned to anger. Not if she had anything to do with it.

She hit the man in armor hard with a water whip. The man stumbled forward and turned while his companion turned and summoned a blue flam with one hand. She threw it at Katara before charging right through her. It was like ice water pouring through her soul. Katara had to catch her breath and turned to the female now behind her.

"You-your spirits?"

The masked woman nodded and pointed to the gate. She then grabbed Katara's sleeve and tugged on it with an invisible hand.

"You want me to leave?"

The woman nodded.

Katara took a step but stopped. "I'm sorry but your friend has my brother's sword." She made her water turn to ice. "I can't let him keep it."

.o.

Azula rolled her eyes. "Ugh! I'm trying to save your life! That's your brother let him keep his sword." She gritted her teeth. "If you could hear me this would be so much easier."

"Go try to get the others out Azula!" Sokka yelled sheathing his sword. "I'll deal with Katara!"

Azula nodded. "Fine! But watch yourself. She's a real water witch!"

Sokka phased through a waterfall attack. "Showing some concern form me Azula? Death really changes everyone!"

"I don't really care about you peasant but I don't want you to get your soul hurt….it's a pain I wouldn't wish on anyone." Azula clenched her fists. "Don't read into much! Just go fight with your sister!"

Azula left the two to almost immediately run through a wall and scare the living daylights out of Suki and Ty Lee. Suki fainted into Ty Lee's arms while she shook like a leaf.

"Wha-what do you want?" To Azula's knowledge Ty Lee had never looked so frightened. Part of Azula wanted just to hug her and assure her everything was ok like Ty Lee had done for her during those horrible nights in the asylum but she couldn't, not like this. Instead she grabbed a bucket of pain and as quickly as she could spelled out exactly what she wanted Ty Lee to do.  
Ty Lee read the writing on the wall. "You're not going to hurt me? You just want me to leave with my friends?"

Azula nodded.

Ty Lee picked up the unconscious Mai. "Hey, are you a ghost?"

She nodded again.

"So do you know dead people? Well I guess you would. Odd request, I know, but if you ever run into Princess Azula, you know if you do that and she didn't get sent to somewhere awful, could you please tell her that I miss her." Ty Lee looked down. "And that I wish she hadn't run away and died. If she had come to me I would have tried to keep her hidden. I never told anyone this; that asylum I don't think they were helping her, I think they were making it worse and I'm sorry I didn't speak up and help her when I had the chance." She shook her head. "look at me blubbering like an idiot while you just want me to get out of here."

Azula watched them go before falling to her knees. The few memories she had of the asylum hit her hard like a knife to her heart. She remembered metal prongs and pain. Even in her spectral state she didn't feel safe anymore. She rushed out of the room to see Katara blast Sokka's armor apart scattering the pieces across the yard. The helmet and sword landed right by Azula's feet. She grabbed the helmet but froze as Katara came near and grabbed the sword. From across the yard Zuko appeared holding her father.

"Katara! We need to get out of here! Leave that woman alone! She's dangerous!"

Katara gave Azula a look before taking the sword and running off. Behind her a tower crashed down. The guards that had been milling around suddenly stopped in their tracks and collapsed. To her right Azula could see the flying bison becoming smaller with everyone that had come plus and extra.

Azula sighed and held the helmet up to eye level. "I don't suppose you can pull yourself back together can you?"

"I…. don't think so….I can't really feel the rest of me. She hit me pretty hard with that watch… I feel really scattered." Sokka replied.

Azula looked at the rest of the armor. "You look really scattered too. I'm not going to pick you up, you know. You'll just have to wait for your girlfriend the moon to do that."

Sokka sighed. "Great…tonight's a new moon she's not coming tonight. You can't do me a solid and help?"

Azula sighed. "I guess Ira will asked me to help anyway but you'll owe me peasant."

"Hey! I'm the guy who convinced Ira to come save you! I was the one that found you! I even died for you from this point of view you owe me." Sokka said indignantly. "I tried to save your life."

Azula put the helmet on a bench and picked up a glove. "Yeah you did such a good job with that. Now we're both dead but I won't say that it's not an improvement… I mean really life was not as kind to me as it was to you." She placed the glove under the helmet and watched amused, as it seemed to come to life."

"You were a princess in life! If you hadn't gone mad you're life would have been wonderful but you lost your mind! Speaking of lost, are all these guards dead?"

Azula checked the pulse. "No they're just sleeping. As for that lost my mind comment I didn't want to! It was the stress it just got to be too much! And-and…." She stumbled back. "Why is he here?"

"Why is who here? Azula I can't see who you're talking about."

Shaking Azula grabbed the helmet and pointed it at the unconscious man behind the guard. "Him! He's still here! You might call me evil, but him! He's a real monster! Worse then those sirens or the leviathan!" She backed away now clutching the helmet. "What if he wakes up while I'm still here? He'll try to drag me back! He'll-he'll drag me back to hell!" Azula was practically screeching.

"Azula!" Sokka yelled. "Calm down! He's not going to wake up. Now if you help me put myself back together we can leave. We've done our jobs."

Azula shook her head. "No! No! I can't!" She dropped the helmet and ran away.

.o.

Ira was nursing a cut on his arm when he walked into the prison yard to see armor scattered everywhere and no signed of Azula. With a wave of his hand he reassembled Sokka. "The Siren's been dealt with. Where's Azula?"

Sokka straightened his helmet. "I think she went home. She saw that guy and freaked out." Sokka pointed to a man whom he now remembered as a doctor from the asylum. "I think he might have hurt her in life."

Ira narrowed his eyes. "He did. Even in Azula's jumbled mind, she remembers that man perfectly and what he did to her."

Sokka looked at Ira. "What did he do?"

"I won't give you details, those are for her to share with you if she so choses but I will say this if he had killed her at their first meeting he'd be a kind man."

Sokka looked at the man. "Ira when Azula ran away was she running to freedom or away from him?"

"I cannot say for sure but I would not blame her if she was." Ira looked at the man disgusted. "Come let us leave before I burn him alive."

"I thought the living shouldn't fear the dead." Sokka asked keeping in step with him.

"They aren't but I'm not the dead, I'm a spirit and the living can and should fear me. Especially scum like him."

Sokka nodded. "Uh, Ira…I hate to tell you this but Katara kind of stole sword after she dismantled me."

Ira sighed. "I shall go an see if I can retrieve it. You check on your sister, Azula."

Sokka took off his faceplate to look at Ira queerly. "Uh Ira, Azula and I aren't related she's not my sister."

Ira sighed. "Maybe not in life but in death you are both my children which makes you siblings in my eyes. Just go and try to comfort her please."

"Fine." Sokka put his faceplate back in. "But I don't think she'll be all that responsive to my 'comfort' but I'll try."

.o.

Sokka found Azula sitting in the garden. She gave him a dismissive look before looking back at a rose bush. "You here to make fun of me or scold me for running away?"

Sokka sat down next to her. "No, I just wanted to check up on you." She gave him a look. "Ok, Ira wanted me to check up on you. I bet he'd be here but he's off getting my sword back and I'm worried about you too. Ira said that man hurt you."

Azula pulled her knees close. "He did, I don't want to talk about it."

Sokka sighed. "Ok, we don't have to but are you ok? I've never seen you act so scared before."

Azula looked away. "I'm fine. I don't need your pity or anything. I'll wait for Ira to get back of find Nix, they don't think I'm a monster."

Sokka was about to get up but stopped. "I don't think you're a monster. Not anymore. Azula you said you're happier being dead than alive, is that true?"

She nodded. "Yeah, dead I've got Ira, Heroto, Nix, no ones making me be perfect or putting me through stress. I like being dead, I feel loved and safe." Suddenly she started to sob. "Only one person misses me back there, only one! But here I-I like to think Ira and the rest would if something bad happened to me. When I met Anubis and he fixed my hand Ira came and looked like he'd start a fight to keep me safe." She smoothed out her dress. "He gave me this dress you know, said he made it for his daughter but since he doesn't have one he gave it to me." She gave a weak smiled. "Isn't it pretty?" Suddenly she looked like she was six years old. "Do you think it's pretty?"

Sokka nodded. "Very pretty…. Uh Azula, how old are you?"

"I'm six!"

Sokka nodded. "And do you know who I am?"

"You're Sokka! You-you, saved me from something." She blinked. "I can't remember from what but you did and…. are you my big brother? I know I have one and you saved me so are you him?"

A/N: Comment if you feel so compelled and this story might get a 3rd part or just feed into the next 'episode' don't know yet. Hope you all have a great day!


	15. Children of Death

~Chapter 15~

~The Children of Death~

Sokka shook his head. "No, I'm not your brother…why are you so young? Azula? Why are you six?"

"Because that's how old I am!" Azula smiled. "Let's play a game! I'll hide and you come find me!"

Before he could stop her, Azula ran into the garden. Sokka stood up. "I guess I need to go get her and keep her safe until Ira get's back. This is weird people don't just de-age."

_ "Are you really trying to add logic to this realm?"_

Sokka jumped and turned afraid to see a siren standing there but instead saw a beautiful woman leaning against a stone railing. His eyes widened. "Hey! I've seen you before. You're in all the paintings! You're the White Phoenix!"

The woman nodded. _"My you're observant. Yes, I am the woman Ira paints. My name in Nix and I am the mistress of this house."_

"Oh…so do you know what's going on with Azula? Why she suddenly became a little girl?"

_"She's always been a little girl Sokka, A fragile lost little girl. But as for your particular question: yes I do know why she has changed forms."_

"And why is that?"

_"It's a defense, many souls do that when they can't face the reality of their past. They become an age when everything was ok and they felt safe. Sadly, for Azula that age is six." _She looked over at Sokka. _"You should go find her, she's waiting for you."_

"I will." Sokka started to walk into the garden.  
_ "Oh Sokka!"_

He turned back. "Yes?"

_"Do you know you're dead?"_

Sokka chuckled. "Why of course I do! I know I'm-I'm…I need to go find Azula." Sokka quickly moved into the garden. "Weird phantom paint lady….I'm a ghost! I know I'm-I'm…gone. How could I not?"

Sokka moved deeper into the garden. He passed a fountain were the woman was sitting reading a book.

"Gahh!" Sokka jumped back. "What are you doing here now?"

Nix lowered her book. _"Why I'm reading? But I do have another question for you…you've been here quite a bit and I've been wondering why have you not gone to find your mother?"_

Sokka gulped. "Well I just haven't found the time that's all. I've been very busy taking care of all those soul-stealing monsters. Now if you don't mind I need to find Azula she's waiting for me."

Nix turned a page in her book. _"Sure go a head but I have the feeling your mother would want to see you. She might be hurt that you haven't yet."_ She looked up from her book. _"Or is there another reason you haven't sought her out?"_

"I've just been busy!" Sokka yelled going further into the garden. He stopped when he was sure she couldn't see him. "I've just been really busy, right?" He thought back to his final hours. He had been thinking of ghosts and how he was afraid to become one…and how he feared that his mother could have become one. Suddenly he felt weak and had to sit down on a near by bench. Some how only now did the gravity of his death really sink in; he remembered the look on Katara's face when she blasted him with water sending his armor flying. She looked so angry and terrified. He blinked. Had he been avoiding the reality of his death the whole time when he thought he had embraced it? "But if I've embraced it why can't I say it?"

"Say what?" Sokka looked up to see Azula standing a few feet away in her slightly oversized kimono. She tilted her head. "What can't you say?"

Sokka smiled. "Nothing too important. Wasn't I supposed to try and find you?"

"You took too long, I got board so I decided to go look for you!"

"Well you found me!" Sokka stood up. "Hey let's go inside and find Heroto. He might want to take a look at you." He held out his hand and she took it.

"Sure! Let's find Heroto! He's my friend! Maybe he'll have a treat for us or something nice."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah something nice."

Azula stopped. "Sokka? Are you ok? Is something wrong?"

"Uh, Azula you do know you're dead right?"

"Yeah, I know I'm dead!" She pulled her hand away and put them on her hips. "I died when those nasty Sirens drowned me!" She looked him right in the eye and was now in the form of her proper age. "I died when no one saved me because they didn't care." She paused. "Wait that's not right. You tried to save me; you cared. At least a little, because if you didn't you'd still be alive. I'm the reason you're dead." Azula turned away not wanting to see Sokka's face. She didn't like the idea of hurting him. She pulled her arms around her and wished she could go back to being six, everything felt better when she was six.

"But I don't want to be dead."Azula turned and saw that now Sokka had changed age. The little boy looked down at his boots. "I don't want to be like my mama. I don't want to be buried in the snow and forgotten."

Azula looked down unsure what to do as the child started to cry. "Spirits, I am not the person you come crying to." She looked around. "Where's Nix or Ira when you need them? Heck I'd even take that soft spoken moon spirit right now."

Sokka grabbed her dress moving from crying to outright sobbing. "I liked my life. It was a good life! I don't want to be dead…I don't want to be ended! I don't want to see my mom's face when she realizes I die young! I don't like this ending!"

Azula looked down reminded of what Ira had told her. "Do you really think this is the end?"

.o.

Ira walked through the Fire Nation royal palace. He could feel the power he had given the sword radiated from this area. He had to find it quickly before anyone realized exactly what they had. Puki sat obediently on his shoulder keeping a look out for any souls trapped within the old walls of the palace. He passed a room where a few of the woman form the prison were talking. He paused and stepped back to look at the four of them. He recognized one as Sokka's sister. She was standing with a hand on another girl's shoulder.

"It's going to be alright." Katara comforted. "You'll see."

"How is it going to be alright?" Suki yelled through her tears. "How? Because right now I don't see anything good about my predicament! I'm pregnant, unwed, and the father is dead!" Suki wrapped her arms around her stomach. "I'm so lost right now, so if you think it's going to be alright please tell me Katara! Tell me how!"

Ira looked sadly at the young woman. Memories of similar scenes played out in front of his eyes. He was the Lantern Bearer for soldiers and sailors and so many of them left women like Suki behind. He moved from the scene to an empty bedroom where Sokka's sword was laying next to a few bags. He picked it up and was about to leave when he turned to see Zuko standing in the doorway. The Fire Lord stepped aside.

"I've come to the conclusion that you don't do anything without reason spirit and I must respect that. After all you save my life and my father's life." Zuko looked down. "There must be a reason you need my friend's sword too."

Ira nodded. "There is, I need to return it to him. It no longer belongs to the living."

"I want to understand but that sword it's all Katara has left of her brother. Can't you leave it for her?"

Ira shook his head. "Sadly I cannot but I guess I can leave something in its place." He waved his hand and conjured a sword almost exactly like Sokka's but this time it had a scabbard. He set it where the original had been. "There is that acceptable to you?"

Zuko nodded. "Yes, it is." Ira walked past him and down the hall but stopped when the Fire Lord spoke again. "If you're a grim reaper why did you save my life? Why aren't you malevolent like my uncle describes?"

Ira turned to look at Zuko. "Your uncle calls me malevolent?"

Zuko nodded. "Yes, he said a very powerful spirit that looked like a man with one eye took his son away. You seem to fit his description so why don't you act like him? Why do you seem so kind?"

Ira turned away. "I don't answer to you Fire Lord."

"Obviously, since you didn't answer me at all." Zuko crossed his arms. "Fine don't tell me why but can you tell me this. What is your name spirit?"

"My name?"

"Yes your name."

"It's Ira, my friends just recently gave it to me. He's very good at naming things and now I must go and give him back his sword." With that Ira left Zuko standing in the hall.

Zuko looked where Ira had been standing. "Sokka gave you your name? Then what were you called before that?"

"Zuko what are you doing standing in the dark?" Aang asked walking up from behind him. "Are you ok? You look pale."

Zuko shook his head. "I'm fine, I just saw the spirit that saved my life. He told me his name."

"Oh! What was it?" Aang asked excitedly.

"Ira, he said his name was Ira and that Sokka gave it to him."

Aang tapped his chin. "That means if Sokka gave him is name and he's a spirit then he must be in the spirit world somewhere!"

Zuko looked at Aang. "Why do you sound so happy saying that?"

"Because! If he's there I can find him! And if I can find him I can finally find out what happened to him?" Aang smiled. "We can finally know what happened at that house!"

.o.

Ira walked into the manor and was immediately met by Heroto. "Uh Sir! Glad you're home, uh the children they uh, need your attention."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

Heroto motioned for Ira to follow him. He led Ira into one of the grand living rooms where a fire was burning brightly and two small figured was wrapped in blankets asleep. Heroto looked at Ira. "I found them like this, asleep and looking like little children. Sir I don't know what this means."

Ira looked down at the two. "It means they've some things in their worlds they don't know deal with." He readjusted one of the blankets. "Heroto get me something warm to drink I'll stay with them here for the night. Watch over them."

Heroto bowed. "Yes, sir. And sir if I may you seem to be more involved with these two souls then any other in my memory. Is there are reason?"

Ira shook his head. "They just need me right now they're both lost; in need of a direction."

.o.

Sokka woke up the next morning right next to a sleeping Azula. He jumped a little then turned to see a chuckling Ira sitting in a chair a few feet away. Ira smiled. "So the brave knight is awake now? Care to explain what happened yesterday and why you were nine?"

Sokka was silent for a moment. "No, not really. Hey! Did you get my sword back?"

Ira nodded. "I did. Sokka in life did you know a young woman named Suki?"

Sokka nodded. "Yes. I knew her! Is something wrong is she hurt or something?"

"No nothing like that." Ira held out his sword. "Try not to lose it. This isn't just a sword it's a very powerful spiritual item, treat it with respect."

Sokka took the sword and nodded. "I understand. Hey do you have a new mission for me?"

Behind him Azula started to stir and sat up, she looked like her normal self. "Oh why am I sleeping on this sofa?" She looked at Sokka. "Well you're back to, well for lack of a better word, normal." She looked over. "Ira! You're back!"

Ira nodded. "Yes, and I have a mission just for the two of you."

Azula glanced over at Sokka then back. "Why just the two of us? Wait why am I going? I'm not apart of what you and Sokka have going on!"

Ira stood up and waved his hand over the picture above the fireplace and it changed into a large world map including four countries neither of them had seen before. "This is the world, the real would not just your half. In the Black Swan Sea just off the coast of the Shadow Nation there's an island once famous for it's ship wrecks."

Azula crossed her arms. "So? What's the problem?"

"The problem is that for almost a hundred years many ships have been lost but no souls have come from any of those wrecks. It's odd."

"That still doesn't explain why we have to go and not you." Azula put her hands on her hips. "So why are you sending me and the water knight?"

"Because," Ira explained, "I had Yue look down on the island last night. The island is full of statues. I think we're dealing with a Gorgon and if so I can't be there but you two, you two can."

Sokka gulped. "Why?"

"Because ghosts can't become stone."


	16. A litte ghost part 1

~Chapter 16 ~

~A little ghost~

Azula stepped on to the snowy island and crossed her arms. She wasn't cold per say but looking at all the ice and now around her made her feel cold. She looked over at Sokka. "So what are we supposed to do now that we're here?"

Sokka shrugged. "I guess find this gorgon and work it out from there."

Azula pouted. "You have no idea what you're doing here, do you?"

"Not a clue, I've dealt with Sirens and Banshees but a Gorgon? I didn't even know what that was until Ira explained." He looked around. "We might as well get going and find this thing."

The two walked in silence for a moment when Azula spotted a statue in the middle of the path. She examined it queerly; it looked like a lost sailor dressed in rags. "This must be one of the statues Ira mentioned." Azula looked up to see Sokka looking over a ridge.

"Yeah, and I just found a lot more." He pointed down to a valley that was littered with statues. There were men, women, and even children in the mix.

Azula pressed her hang against the stature she had been looking at. Even though the cold it felt warm to the touch. "Do you think these people are still alive? Like they can see out of they prisons but can't move or even wait for death?"

Sokka sighed. "It's possible, let's hope this Gorgon can reverse what they've done."

Azula spotted a red-cloaked figure wondering through the statues. She summoned a flame with her non-bandaged hand. "Well let's go ask, shall we?"

She took off after the figure with Sokka close in tow. The figure saw the two and fled into the woods. Azula felt exhilarated as she ran after the figure; this was the first time she truly felt awake. Not alive really but awake. That is until it stopped and she lost the figure in the ruins of a manor. She looked around; it looked a lot like the manor Ira had shown her on Ember Island. Azula glanced down at the blue marble under her feet.

"Wow the world is just lousy with this broken houses isn't it?"

Sokka caught up to her and nodded. "Yeah, we should ask Ira or Heroto when we get back about these places."

Azula picked up a broken gold necklace on the floor. Suddenly the room was filled with phantoms. A man looking like Ira, but grander more like a titan, walked into the room, he was terrible. He was yelling something and a woman with bright gold eyes and skin of onyx was yelling back. Her hair moved around her like is was caught in water and constantly seemed to change color from white to the deepest blues and purple she had ever seen. The woman sent a bolt at the man who caught it. Clearly enraged the woman tore the necklace from around her neck and threw it striking the ground and causing the marble to crack. Then the vision was gone and it was just Sokka and Azula standing in the ruins.

She looked over at Sokka. "Tell me you saw that too."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah but what dose it all mean?"

"I don't know." Azula walked up to a wall that was covered in strange writing. "But I wonder if this has anything to do with it." She touched the letters and jumped back as they stared to move into more legible characters.

Sokka looked at the writing. "It's a diary entry."

"I can see that genius." Azula snapped before looking up and finding her annoyance fading. "It's by someone running from something and asking a spirit for help."

"But the spirit was worse than what she left." Sokka looked over at Azula. "He cursed her, scaring her face and making it so she was trapped on this island forever."

Azula put a hand on the wall. "What are we going to do? She sounds so scared and afraid."

Sokka looked up at the moon through the broken beams. "We find her, and we ask her what she really wants. We help her, she's a victim just like us; just like them." He pointed to a statue. "We should split up. We can cover more ground."

Azula nodded and picked two candlesticks from the ground and lit them; she handed one to Sokka. "Here, the light might lead her to you."

"Thanks."

.o.

Sokka wondered through the ruins. He paused when he heard a voice from his past. He looked around; there was no one there. As soon as he started to walk again he heard the voices and fallowed them into an empty courtyard with a stone reflecting pool that seemed to be emitting the voices. Sokka walked over and looked down into the pool and immediately wished he hadn't.

.o.

Azula walked into a broken room with a giant statue of a man in the center. He was holding a club as if he was going to strike the person standing before him. Even from the distance she was standing Azula could feel the statues power.

"So are you the spirit that cursed the gorgon?" She smirked. "Didn't work all that well for you did it? You wouldn't be in this mess if you just played nice."

From one corner of the room Azula heard a faint laugh. She turned to see the red-cloaked figure sitting on a broken piece of marble. It was a woman who was missing the flesh from around her empty left eye socket. A serpent had coiled itself around her neck and through the cracks in her exposed skull; the head rested just below the woman's right eye.

"Spirits never play nice." She looked directly at Azula. "Are you her to kill me phantom?"

Azula stepped forward. "No, I came to help you." Snow was starting to fall making Azula feel cold again.

The woman looked away. "No one comes to help me. Only to kill me and use my power in a war." She petted the snake. "Or rather his power."

"Well I came to help."

"Who are you to offer such help? Are you a powerful spirit? A goddess?" she glanced at her candle. "A lantern bearer come to finally take me home?"

Azula looked down. "No, I'm just little ghost who wants to help. I'm Azula." She kept her eyes down cast; what would Ira or Nix do in a situation like this? She looked up at the woman and saw her chilled blue lips. "You look cold."

"Yeah, well it's winter and I can't start a fire, unlike you." She gestured around her. "I used up all my matches centuries ago."

Azula looked down at her candle before holding out her hand. "Well, let's fix that and get you warm." She smiled and held up the candle. "We've already got a flame now all we need is some fuel."

A/N: Merry Christmas Everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to come out with this chapter, I've been busy and easily distracted. I hope this season has brought you joy, comfort, and peace; and that you have been able to bring one of those things to another person. If you're reading this and it's not Christmas time I still hope that spirit of good will and charity is with you since it really doesn't have to be Christmas to want to help your fellow man.


	17. A Little Gorgon

Chapter 17

A Little Gorgon

Azula sat in front of a roaring fire; next to her was medusa who was holding her hands out trying to get warm.

"You know I used to be beautiful." Medusa explained. "I used to be sought after all the by all the men in my small Kingdom but I was a priestess for the moon spirit and thus unavailable." She looked over at Azula. "You know how it is, duty before all."

Azula nodded. "Yeah, I know. So what happened?"

"My Kingdom was conquered by another kingdom and one of its generals made me his slave. He was horrible but I escaped with the help of my friend." She patted the snake. "We made it to this island hoping to finally be free but we ran in that bruit of a spirit who cursed us. So here we have been for centuries with only each other for company. The statues aren't really that talkative."

Azula giggled. "Yeah, I bet. So you worshiped the moon spirit?"

"Yeah, supposedly she's a kind spirit. We gave her the name Isis and have images of a woman with bright blue eyes and dark skin like the night."

Azula shrugged. "Well, looks like you guys weren't that far off. Would you like to meet her?"

"Meet the moon spirit? After all these years she left me here to suffer?" Medusa's face hardened. "Why would I want to do that?"

Azula shrugged. "I don't know. I just know the chick and she's really nice. I doubt she even knew you were suffering. In actuality she's kind of new to her job. When you were worshiping the moon spirit it was a fish living in the North Pole and didn't get out very often."

Medusa's face suddenly contorted. "So you're telling me I spend decades being angry at a fish?"

Azula nodded. "Yeah, you kind of have."

Medusa burst into laughter. "A Fish! A fish!" She clutched her sides as a tear rolled down her right cheek. "I've been waiting for a fish to break my curse?" Medusa's laughter turned to sobs. "A fish?"

Azula, not knowing what else to do, pulled the girl into a hug and patted her back. She sat there by the warm fire comforting the girl who's world had just crashed down.

.o.

Sokka looked into the water seeing an image to Suki standing with an infant in her arms. The baby was blue eyed and had his dark skin. The baby cried in Suki's arms while she tried to soothe it. Suddenly Zuko entered the scene and took the baby letting Suki take a seat and rest.

"Must be hard to watch another make take care of your child even if this is just a possible future." Sokka turned to see the golden eyed woman from the vision. She walked to the edge of the pool and glared down. "But you know what's worse? Seeing your own parent give more affection to strays he took in than to you!"

Sokka was suddenly struck with a bolt of lightning and thrown against a wall. He slid down into a crumpled heap of composing limbs. The woman walked over and kneeled down by Sokka's head. "Tell the great North Start that his daughter is unimpressed with his newest acquisitions."

The woman smiled and then left leaving Sokka practically paralyzed. Snow started to fall covering him and making him cold. Sokka shivered suddenly feeling the steady rhythm of a pulse beat through his body. Around him he heard footsteps and hoped it was Azula coming to his recuse. Sokka blinked realizing what exactly he had just thought and how it was devoid of any sarcasm.

A woman with long red hair and dark green eyes walked into his field of vision and gasped. Suddenly he was in her arms and she was yelling to people Sokka couldn't see. At the corner of his eye he thought he saw Azula's dress walking past a broken second story window but his mouth refused to call out to her. Sokka felt heavy, heavy and cold. For the first time in a long time her felt exhausted and closed his eyes leaning against the red haired woman's chest.

.o.

Azula searched through the manor in a panic. She could not for the soul of her find Sokka anywhere. Medusa had dried her tears and agreed to help her find her companion. Azula was just examining some scorch marks on a wall when Medusa called to her from the front of the manor. Azula rushed out to see the veritable forest of statues smashed to pieces. Medusa was on her knees holding the head of one of the statues.

"They're all destroyed. All of them!" Medusa's eye filled with rage. "Did your companion do this!?"

Azula looked at the pieces. "No, these statues all have scorch marks like they were hit with lightning. Sokka, Sokka can't do stuff like that but what ever did must have taken Sokka!" Azula started to shake and looked up at the sky for a moment then back at Medusa. "Can you keep your friend from turning spirits to stone?"

Medusa nodded and petted the snake. "I kneed you to close your eyes for a little bit. I'll tell you when you can open them."

Azula watched as the snake obeyed before looking back at the sky. "Ira! Yue! Heroto! One of you! I need you! It's safe! Please! I've lost Sokka!"

In a beam of light Yue landed in front of them her white hair shining in the moonlight. "You lost him? How?"

"I don't know I just did!" Azula paused. "Qnd I don't know where and all these statues were destroyed by lightning and I don't know why either."

Yue looked around. "Yeah, I think we need Ira to investigate this place. I don't feel the presence of souls anywhere and this used to be filled with that feeling." She looked Azula in the eye. "We need to get back to the land of the dead and sort this out."

Azula nodded then stopped. "Yes but before that I need you to meet someone." She pointed to Medusa. "Yue this is Medusa she used to be a priestess of the moon like a long time ago but was cursed by a jack ass spirit maybe you could fix that since she technically belongs to you on this side of the map. Oh! And that snake is her best friend and was a guy so if you could cure him too that would be great!"

Yue looked at Medusa at a loss. "I don't know if I can."

Medusa looked away. "Typical."

Yue sighed and took Medusa's hand. "But I will endeavor to do what I can; including taking you away from this horrible island to a place were you and your snake will be safe."

Medusa looked at Yue. "Safe from what? Man or spirit?"

Yue patted her hand. "I know a place where you would be safe from both." She looked at Azula. "Go to Ira tell him what happened, I need to tend to this soul I have let down."

.o.

Medusa let Yue lead her into a forest of bamboo grass under a starry sky. "This is the midnight forest." Yue said brining her to a clearing where a palace made of wood and painted blue and gold sat. "It is my kingdom and that is my palace."

Medusa was stunned. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I doubt you would, your side of the world seems to favor stone to wood. Here you will be safe while I try to find a way to cure you." Yue kissed Medusa's forehead, which made part of her hair turn white. "While you are here you will bare my mark and thus my protection. No one, man or spirit, can harm you here while you bare my mark."

Medusa petted her snake. "And my friend? Can he open his eyes here and not turn people to stone?"

Yue nodded. "This is the spirit world, every thing is energy here and cannot be stone so it is safe." Yue sighed and put a hand on Medusa's shoulder. "I'm sorry I can't help you more now but I must find my knight Sokka."

"Is he your friend?"

Yue smiled. "More my lover but yes he is also my friend."

.o.

Sokka groaned and woke up looked at the red haired woman and feeling the familiar rocking of a ship at sea. The woman smiled.

"You had us worried there stranger." She placed a warm rag on his head. "But you look to be getting stronger all the time."

"Stronger?" Sokka looked around. "How can I be getting stronger? Where am I? And who are you?"

The woman smiled. "Don't know how but after we get some stew into you you'll be right as rain. You're on the Dancing Dusk a merchant ship that's bound for the northern port of Minsk and I'm Jean Sinclair." She smiled. "I'm the one that found you. Now tell me stranger what is your name?"

A/N: Yes, Sokka is alive for the moment and I'll will explain more in a later chapter. Please comment if you feel so compelled and I would like to know if you would like to see more of Medusa in the story or if I should just wrap up her story. Let me know and I'll see you all later! ~ C.C.


	18. Lady Jean

Chapter 18  
The Lady Jean

Sokka drained the bowl of stew and looked over at Jean. She was young but definitely a few years his senior. She tilted her head and gazed at him with her bright green eyes.

"So you have a name stranger?"

Sokka nodded. "Uh, yeah. Name's Sokka, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Sothern Water Tribe?" Jean looked perplexed. "Where the blazes is that?"

"It's in the South Pole."

"The South Pole?" Jean looked dubious. "No one lives there, it's too cold for life."

Sokka shrugged. "Well my people manage but I've never come across or heard of anyone with red hair."

"And I never heard of anyone with blue eyes so I guess we're both experiencing new things Sokka. So what were you doing on that island?"

Sokka bit his lip wondering if he should tell Jean the truth or a lie. "I was…monster hunting. Looking for the thing that turned all those people into statues."

Jean shook her head. "You must have really injured yourself stranger there wasn't a single statue on that island, a bunch of rocks yes but statues? Of people? I didn't see a one and I doubt my crew did either."

"So if you didn't see the statues why did you come to the island?" Sokka asked.

Jean sighed. "We saw a light burning in that old castle though we'd check for any ship wreck survivors and that's how we found you."

"Oh, heh yeah." Sokka looked down at his hand, his real living hands. "So Jean, what are you doing sailing in these waters?"

Jean leaned back and smiled. "Like I told you, I'm a merchant and I'm sailing to the northern most point of the Shadow nation to bring goods to their capital. Want to get one last shipment in before they're all iced in for the winter. Got to make a living after all. So Sokka of the Water Tribe do you know your way around a ship?"

Sokka smirked. "I think I can figure it out. Why?"

"Well, you need some way of making yourself useful. Nothing in life is free and if you're going to be on my ship and eat my crews' food then you're going to be a part of the crew."

.o.

Azula paced around Ira's study agitated. Five days had past since she had rescued Medusa and Sokka had gone missing. Sitting by the fire Ira glared into the flames vexed that he wasn't able to find Sokka or where the missing souls had gone.

"Five days! That idiot has been gone five days! How has he not been able to find his way back!?" Azula practically screeched.

"I don't know." Ira said in a forced calm voice. "But I feel that if given the choice he would have returned which means he can't for some reason or another. We'll know more once Heroto and Yue return from their search."  
Azula crossed her arms. "I really hope that's the case. I mean where would he even go?"  
Ira looked away. "I had an idea of where he might go but that proved fruitless."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What was your idea?"

Ira waved his hand and the bronze statue next to him took the form of Suki, which Puki stood next to, and trying to see who was taller. "His former lover, the one he left behind, is with child; his child. I thought perhaps he might have found out and gone to her side but when I looked there was no sign of him."

"Is that common? For ghosts to do that?" Azula looked at the figurine. "To leave this place and go to lost lovers?"

"Very, it's heart breaking for both parties. A real parent never lets go of their love for their child the will always remember them."

Azula pouted. "Yeah, too bad there are so few real parents out there my mother chose to forget me and my brother and my father…well retrospect doesn't look too kindly."

"I'm sorry."

Azula shrugged. "Like I told Sokka I'm happy I'm dead." She smiled. "I've got you and Nix now: not to mention real friends that aren't afraid to me like Heroto and Medusa."

"How is Medusa doing?" Ira inquired.

"Better, I plan on visiting her if Heroto or Yue don't get back soon."

"Why don't you go now anyway?" Ira gave her a kind smile. "It's no good just to sit around here and no doubt Medusa is lonely. I'll sent you a message once we know something"

Azula shrugged. "Ok."

.o.

Sokka surveyed the map on Jean's desk. "I just can't believe there's a whole other continent! A whole other part of the world untouched by the Sozin's war."

"Sozin's what?"

"His war, where I'm from there's been a war going on for the past hundred years it was finally ended only a little bit ago."

"Oh, yeah. Never heard of it." Jean leaned over the map and pointing to a large northern country on the eastern side of the continent. "But just because you've been in a war doesn't mean we haven't had our own troubles. See this country here? It's the Shadow Nation and for the past century it's been causing some problems not an all out war but enough to make trade a nightmare. We almost had a was when our newest Empress dethroned the Shadow Nation's Tzar and placed his son Erhen as the new Tzar."

Sokka blinked.

"You understood none of that did you?"

"Yeah pretty much start from the beginning and pretend I know absolutely nothing of your culture or history."

Jean sighed. "Look I'll give you the short version long ago there were four nations, one for each element shadow, sound, flora, and ore. The Shadow Nation and the Kingdom of Ore stayed unified and at the largest of all the countries; The Flora tribes are split into two separate entities, the Green Isles where I'm from and the country of Eden in the south. Those in the nomadic sound tribes are loosely associated with each other and roam through different countries and the badlands, which belongs to no one. It's rumored that they have various holy sites that they visit but I don't know that for a fact. Presiding over all of this is the Empress or Emperor who can bend each element and are chosen by the gods at birth to be their hand and keep peace."

"So they're like the Avatar? This person just keeps being reincarnated every generation?"

"I don't know who the avatar is but our Empress of Emperor is not the same person every time, They may talk to the those who have passed on but it is not a terrible loop like what you seem to imply." Jean looked at him with her big green eyes. "To be the Emperor is an honor not a curse. What did your avatar do to anger the gods so much?"

Sokka was thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I don't know."

Jean shrugged. "Well if you ever meet your avatar you should ask him."

Sokka cringed. "Yeah I don't think that's ever going to happen." He leaned back. "So tell me about yourself."

From somewhere on deck the crew started to yell. "Happy get to know each other time will have to wait. We're here."

.o.

Ira was not happy with the current situation at all. It frustrated him that one of his charges could just vanish. Unable to keep still he went back to the ruins to try and gather what had happened. Part of him cursed that he and the spirit of time did not get along and he could ask the wily trickster to help him. A few days had passed since the incident and Ira could feel the presence of a gorgon fading. He paused noting a new energy almost wafting in the air. Changing his form to something more natural and much less human he wondered through the island coming to the ruined castle. His golden eye surveyed the ruin. It was man made but from a long time ago. Ira moved passed the console spirit trap in stone. For a moment Ira sat in front of the statue.

"You know if you were nicer back in the day I might have tried to let you out." Ira cocked his head to one side. "Can you even hear me? Can you…" He paused his eye catching something shining in the other room. "Can you wait a moment? I think I might have found a clue. Don't go anywhere."

Ira moved to the next room and shook his head. "Sokka must be rubbing off on me." He looked down at the necklace. "Well hello, you don't belong here."

He moved the chain with a claw and felt a sudden burst of energy he had not felt in a long time. He shuttered suddenly realizing what might have happened to Sokka. "If she's back this is not good." He looked around. "Now who best to talk to about this? Oh I know."

.o.

There's a part of the spirit world where a once powerful spirit slept trapped by his sister and other half; a great white dragon with red tipped horns wrapped around the tree, his great head by the prisons only opening. "Hello Vatuu, long time no see."

"Why do you taunt me with your visit old one? I wish nothing to do with you and your ilk."

Ira sighed. "I sense bitterness Vatuu."

"I'm trapped! And I have been trap for almost ten thousand years! Who wouldn't hold a grudge?!"

Ira nodded. "True, even I will acknowledge that ten thousand years is a long time. Now I have a question for you where is your mother? Do you know she's awake?"

Vatuu was quite for a moment. "I had not felt her presence since my sister and I locked her in a never ending slumber, back when we were of one mind on things. So no I did not until you told me."

"So do you know what she plans?"

"How could I?" Vatuu moved away from the opening. "Leave me old one and go ask my sister! She may know what mother is up to and what mother wants but I am in the dark."

Ira sighed. "I doubt she would know." He gave Vatuu a nodded. "Thank you for speaking to me Vatuu." Without saying another word Ira left heading to the only other place a spirit old enough to remember the chaotic spirit of discord before her slumber. Ira frowned as he moved from the spirit world to the land of the dead and found himself standing at the gates of Anubis's manor.

.o.

Medusa set her cup down. "It's really nice for you to visit Azula but aren't you looking for your brother?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "He's not my brother, he's more my friend…friend is a strong word. Sokka is…Ira's other child if that makes sense."

Medusa frowned. "Not really, if Ira is your 'father' and he is Sokka's 'father' so wouldn't he be your brother?"

Azula looked back at her tea. "Relationships past death are complicated. I do have a brother but he's still living."

"Oh and how is he? Do you miss him?"

"No, I don't miss him but I think he's doing well. How's your friend?" Azula noted that the serpent was not in his usual place in her exposed scull.

"He's good, he's napping on that rock." She gestured to a rock in the middle of the pond with a small green snake curled up on it. "So do you have any family on this side?"

Azula nodded. "Yeah a few, don't really want to get in to it." She paused. "So you're from a different continent do your people know about the lantern bearers? Because I'll be honest I'm completely new to this."

Medusa was quiet for a moment. "We do, there are lots of stories. I don't remember many but I do know the one about the North Star and his shadow and their eventual falling out."

Azula took another sip. "Well that might be an interesting story, Ira and Anubis clearly don't like each other. Well Ira doesn't like Anubis anyway."

"Oh well in the story they tried to rip each other to shreds that's why they're both missing eyes. "

"Huh, that mystery solved. So what causes the rift in the first place?"  
Medusa laughed. "What always causes a rift? Women. Ira loved a light spirit and Anubis a garden spirit….I think she has something to do with swans or roses. Either why they had their lady loves and one day they just vanished and the two brothers blamed each other."

"And that blame led to them trying to blind each other. So what really happened to the two lady spirits?"

Medusa shrugged. "No one knows. It just that the spirits are gone but their element is still there so that spirit must be somewhere. We just don't know."

"Huh." Azula was quite for a moment. "I think I need to talk to Nix about this maybe she knows something."

"Who's Nix?"


	19. The Mother of Chaos and Order

Chapter 19

The Mother of Chaos and Order

Sokka woke with a start. He was in a small seaside town in the Shadow Nation. The port had iced over so he and the rest of Jean's crew were stuck until the iced thawed enough to use the icebreakers. Looking around the room, Sokka searched for what had woken him. At first his eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary but on his second pass through he saw two big gold eyes looking at him. Sokka jumped and scrambled backward hitting his head on the headboard as the eyes suddenly became attached to the spirit woman he had seen in the ruins. She was beautiful in an unearthly way.

The woman moved like she was smoke or perpetually underwater. Her skin was the color of coal or chard wood, while her eyes and lips were gold. Sparkling gold. She wore nothing but seemed clothes and her hair was lightning tamed into threads of silk. The woman sat on the edge of the bed and surveyed Sokka; she looked unimpressed.

"You're supposed to be dead." She placed a delicate hand under her chin and pouted. "You can't deliver my message if you're alive. Why aren't you dead?"

Sokka looked around. "Um, not sure think I was saved but the Lady Jean and her crew. Also what was that message you had for Ira?"

"Ira?" The woman looked like she was about to laugh. "Ira? The north star with a name?" Her eyes were bright as she moved to sitting four feet above Sokka's bed. "The North Star has a name…" She glanced down at Sokka and smirked. "Well, things are a changing."

"Uh, yeah I guess they are." Sokka's eyes tracked the woman as she now started to pace around the ceiling. "Um, miss do you mind if I ask who you are?"

The spirit stopped. "Who am I?" She laughed. "Who am I?!" The spirit moved quickly so now they were nose to nose. "I am Life." She brushed a hand against his cheek. "I am chaos and order, good and evil. I am everything worth living for and every reason to die all in one."

Sokka blinked. "So you're a contradiction?"

The spirit rolled her eyes. "I guess if you must put a name to it but I am so much more. There would only be spirits without me, you would not have the avatar if not for my existence! I am the daughter of dark and light, love and hate, the dawn and the dusk." Her eyes became cruel. "I am Discord."

Sokka gulped. "You're mad aren't you?"

Discord chuckled and drifted back so that she was now sitting at the end of his bed. "I'm only mad to those who are blind to the true nature of spirits." Her eyes glistened. "But you can't help but be that way, you know nothing of the old guard, or the old gods that came before them." She sneered. "The closest you get to the might of those great spirits are those weakling lantern bearers." She shook her head. "Shame really. All those stories, just fading to dust. No one bothering to listen to them."

Sokka gulped trying to think of the best way not to anger discord. "Um, well I'm here, I can listen."

Discord looked at him up and down and then she looked into his eyes. Deep into them that he felt her looking at the inner most workings of his soul. She sat back after a moment. "You have fire in you little ghost." She tilted her head to the right. "I know you." She tilted her head to the left. "I see you now." Then she nodded. "I guess I can tell you one story for now." She sat cross-legged on the bed and suddenly the two were floating in the midst of the cosmos. She eyes glowed gold and Sokka felt his whole being energized. "This it the story of how I created all of you lowly creatures."

Sokka gulped, maybe he should not asked for a story.

"Long before the spirit of time started counting the seconds there was only one plane of existence, and I the great spirit of Discord ran free under my parent's watchful eye….

.o.

"Discord?" A woman with black and white hair walked down a garden path, the tips of her red and white wings dragging behind her. "Child where are you?" "I'm here!" Discord looked up from her work by the pond's edge. She was young looking covered in mud but happy. "What do you want mother?"

The woman paused. "I was coming to see what you were up to, I had heard rumors that you were up to something."

Discord kicked a small object into the water. "I'm not doing anything." Her dirty skirts covered some more objects. "Nothing at all, Mother."

The woman frowned. "Discord, my child what are you doing at the banks?"

Discord looked down and moved her skirts reveling small figures the looked like the high spirits. "I was making dolls, I had this idea for creatures that looks a lot like the high spirits but weren't them." She knelt down and picked on up. "See I made this one that kind of looks like you without the wings!"

The woman looked down at the doll and shook her head. "How could you make an Aurora without her wings?"

Discord took the doll back. "Well she's not exactly an Aurora Mother, she's." Discord looked at the doll. "Something else. Something special."

Aurora nodded. "I see, is she the only one?"

Discord shook her head. "No! I made others but…"she looked down at the figures. "I only really like this one." Discord picked up another doll. "This one I kind of made too look like Daddy but not."

Aurora looked at the new doll. "I see and this doll, is he the other one's lover?"

Discord wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "NO! This is her brother! Her true brother, not like all the rest."

Aurora looked confused. "All the rest?"

Discord sighed. "Yeah, I have this idea of making many of these dolls to play with, maybe even using my power to have them walk around and talk to each other. You know, not forever but for a little bit." She looked up at her mother's disapproving face. "I wouldn't be making spirits! I just little creatures with a tiny little spark." She made symbol with her hand. "I promise I won't make new spirits of things Daddy would have to care for."

Aurora looked at the little dolls then back at her daughter and her eyes softened. "Here, give me the dolls and I shall give them a bit of my spark."

Discord gave her the two dolls. "I want the boy to have blue eyes and tanned skin like this mud."

"And the girl?" Aurora asked.

"Gold! Just like me but give her white skin like my hair."

Aurora looked puzzled. "Why would you want that?"

"Because I like that color I think I would look good as her skin."

"But yours is so pretty." Aurora argued.

Discord rolled her eyes. "Well if you like it so much make her hair that color."

Aurora nodded and with a wave of her hand the small creatures had color and were moving around. She handed them back to Discord. "Now you take care of these two, I will not make you any more."

Discord nodded and ran back to the manor with her new toys. She dressed the boy in blue and made a yellow dress for the girl. "Ok, so you two are brother and sister meaning you can fight each other but you'll always have the other's back. Got it?"

The two figures just looked up at her and blinked.

Discord sighed and sat back. "Should have known mud brains would be all that bright."

The girl doll put her hands on her tiny hips. "Hey! That's not nice! We were just made a few, a few, well we haven't been around that long we're trying to get our footing."

"Yeah!" Chimed in the boy. "Footing! We don't even have names!"

Discord blinked. "Names? What's a name? You're a doll, you should be named doll."

"But there's two of us." The boy pointed out. "If you call us both doll then how will we know which one you're talking to?"

Discord was quiet for a moment. "I guess that's true." She looked around her room. "What to call you? What to call you….Oh I know!"

.o.

"Adam and Eve?" Sokka looked over at Discord who glared back.

"No, I named them Night and Day. Am I boring you?"

Sokka cringed. "A little. What happened next?"

Discord sighed. "Well my father found them and destroyed them. He called them abominations and I, in my rage, tore the world in four locking all those high and mighty old gods beyond even the land of the dead." She smiled. "True some did escape and from them the old guard, the new guard and all the lesser spirits stemmed but for the most part they were all locked away and I could the other three planes with and iron fist." She clenched her fist and it became solid metal.

Sokka blinked. "So what happened next?"

Discord chuckled. "I made more dolls, like you and populated the world with them so I could play." She smiled and I did until my own children turned against me." Her face darkened. "They stripped me of my great power and hid me under ground in the spirit world never to awaken again." A smile returned to her lips. "But nothing lasts forever not even gods."

Sokka nodded. "I guess so…so what are you going to do to me? You brought me back to life are you going to kill me now?"

Discord floated back and gazed him. Her pensive eyes started to make Sokka nervous. "No, that's too straight forward for me. I'll leave you alive in fact you will never die by another's hand, even age." She smirked. "The only way to die and be at rest is to give your life to another who has died."

Sokka paused. "What? That makes no sense!"

Discord started to walk away. "You'll be alive until you trade your life for their death."

Sokka frowned. "Well that makes even less sense!"

Discord chuckled and started to fade into nothing. "It will in time sweet knight."


End file.
